I am so sorry about not sending an email last week! I had it all typed up and ready to send out, but it got deleted at the end of the hour. :( I´ll try and make up for that this week.

Throughout my entire mission the Lord has showed me His love and concern for the elderly, and recently my companion and I have had more experiences that normal to help them!

We went to visit a retired Patriarch whose wife recently passed away. Brother Zeballos is deaf in one ear, so we couldnt share very much in the way of comfort, yet we did the best we could singing his favorite hymn, ´´How Great Thou Art´´. It surprised us how much that meant to him, because he started crying and thanking us for having given him the comfort that he needed. That was a really sweet experience, and I felt the Spirit testify that the Lord accepts the service we give to others as if we had given it to Him.

As Hna Salas and I were walking toward another appointment, we noticed a nicely dressed older gentleman that was hesitating to cross a super busy road. We both turned around, wondering if he needed help, and ran to him to find out what was the matter. Jorge, the old man, gladly accepted our help and he was trembling when we got to him! It made us feel to good to have acted on a prompting and to have helped him. 

We also were able to visit the grandma and grandpa of the ward, Gloria and Adán, who just celebrated 65 years as a couple. We arrived at their house just as their extended family arrived and it was amazing to see all of their kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids gather around them. They can no longer keep up with them, but it struck me the serenity on their faces as they enjoyed being with their huge posterity. I was able to talk with Adán about his testimony of the Book of Mormon, and it was powerful! He still keeps up with his scripture study and testified of the importance of taking the time to do it everyday. We were able to share Adán´s testimony later that day within a lesson, and it had a powerful effect on the person that we taught!

Oh, another update! 

We visited with Mercedes to talk about covenants and partaking of the sacrament worthily. The lesson was amazing because she is so humble and willing to accept the word of God. Long story short, she revealed to us that she had just separated from her boyfriend and that she is ready to talk to the bishop and put her life in order. I seriously had to stop myself from crying because not too long ago she opened up to us about the serious problems that they were having and all we could do as missionaries was teach her to apply gospel principles and seek the Lord´s will through prayer. She said that was exactly was she did, and that now she is at peace with her decision. I love the gospel! Not only because it fills my life with peace, but because it is the solution to any problem we may have!

This last week has also be GREAT! Hna Salas and I are striving to work even more with the members than before and it is amazing how much our numbers are improving. I know that numbers dont really matter, but I cant deny that they show our work. And we´ve had a number of new investigatores! We´ve really seen sooo many miracles.

Sorry, i´m out of time!

Hna Arroyo

New beginnings

Hermana Salas and I

This week has been both a huge growing experience and a trial. If there is something that I´ve learned in the mission, it is that the Lord allows us to pass through challenges in order to help us grow, but He NEVER leaves us alone. There are always growing pains that accompany learning, yet a huge inner peace as I rely on the Lord whole heartedly. I find comfort in Jeremiah 29:12-13:

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

There isnt much time to keep writing, but know that I have a testimony of the gospel. I know that no matter what mistakes we have made, we can start over and start anew. The Savior of the world is on our side, and there is no other greater happiness than in being a witness of Him.

Hna Arroyo

Striving

At the start of this last week I asked Heavenly Father what He would have me learn, and the Spirit whispered two Christ-like attributes to my mind and heart: longsuffering and kindness.

While teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord taught that we should love others, especially those that dont love us (Matt 5:43-48). I`ve been striving to do that with the people that slam doors or flat-out reject us, and I testify that it is harder to do without the Lord`s help! But as I`ve prayed fervently and sincerely tried to apply the Atonement in my life, I`ve received divine help. And it is truly beautiful! I feel that I have more energy and that my love for others is growing. 

 During the week I went out to work with Hna Hoskins for divisions. One of the appointments was with a memeber of the ward, Isaida, who has been passing for difficult tmes. We got there and within 5 min Isaida was sobbing and explaining how tired she is all the time (she has thyroid problems, so no matter how much sleep she gets, she always feels exhausted) and her family and finacial problems are too much to handle. When we asked her if she`s been praying, more tears flowed:

``Hermanas, the truth is that I havent been praying. I dont think I can handle this anymore...`` 

At that moment the Spirit allowed me to feel the Lord`s complete and deep love for her. I couldnt help but cry and reach out to this person that I had just met, and He gave us the words to share with her:

 28 ¶Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that theeverlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of theearth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searchingof his understanding.

 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have nomight he increaseth strength.

 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and theyoung men shall utterly fall:

 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shallrenew their strength; they shall mount up with wings aseagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shallwalk, and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28-31)

We then tried our best to give Isaida the comfort that Christ would, and we beared our testimonies about the importance and strengthening power of prayer. Isaida then took courage, and offered a kneeling prayer that still stands as an example to me:

``Lord, if it be your will that I be healed or not, do with me according to your will. I will do what you want me to do, just give me strength to keep going forward.``

I have a testimony that prayer works. As we pray and then go and do the Lord`s will, He will give us strength to do hard things and to feel the pure love that He has for others. 

This week was also really great in the way that we were able to find more new investigators! Martha, who Sister Soncco contaced last week, is progressing. We were able to meet with her and teach about prayer and that God is our loving heavenly Father. At first she told us that she didnt have time, but we were persistent by asking her a question; ``Is it okay if we just offer a prayer with you before leaving?`` Well that anticipated 2 min turned into a whole lesson. (yeah!) And we left having gained another dear friend and investigator. 

At another time in the week we used the same persistence to meet with Daniela, an 18 year old girl that we contacted a few weeks ago. We were finally able to find her, and before she closed the door on us, we asked a simple question;

``Is it okay if we just offer a prayer with you before leaving?`` She said yes! and we were able to feel the Spirit, teach a lesson, and gain Daniela`s confidence. She even gave us a reference! 

It`s been a great week. :)

We`ve found new people to teach and the Lord never fails to lift us up and guide us in His work. I know this Church is true and that the Savior of the World is at its head, if it werent so, miracles wouldnt occur.

Hna Arroyo

New Investigators!

HOLY MOLY this week was jammed-packed. And there was so much to learn! I´ll try and sumarize it all up. 

This change has been a real trial for Hna Vitola and I. We´ve been striving to find new investigators through members, recent converts, and through our own efforts, but NOTHING was panning out. I cant fully explain the anguish that we´ve felt and the moments when we just wanted to give-up and cry, but I can now say that all trials bring us closer to the Lord if we let them, and that HE will NEVER leave us alone. 

When I first took in our circumstances, I looked for the most obvious causes: ´´It´s the people and their agency! Why wont they just listen?´´ One more week later, I was blaming myself and my effectiveness as a missionary. I would honestly never want to pass through that again, but it humbled me and helped me learn more about the Atonement. 

What I´ve learned is that I dont have to be perfect in order to be used as an instrument in the Lord´s Hands. Sometimes when I make mistakes, I sometimes have this dialogue in my mind:

´´If only I knew then what I know now,´´ and then lament over the past without moving forward.  But I now know better. Because of the restored gospel, I know that this life is to help us grow and learn. A child needs to touch a hot stove at some point in life in order to know that he should touch it. He will feel the pain of learning, but the learning in turn will protect him. Does that child forget his experience? No, he has to remember it in order to never go back and touch the hot stove again. I used the Atonement to pick myself up again after a good cry, to repent, and to use the Lord´s grace in order to go out and try again. 

These last two weeks my companion and I have been striving to work more intelligently by visiting with more members and consistently asking for references instead of walking around contacting. It has brought about miracles! And the members are becoming more excited to help. 

One afternoon we set out with Sister Soncco to go and visit Mercedes. That appointment actually fell through, but Sis. Soncco knew who else she wanted to visit when we asked her if there was anyone else who lived close by. We immediately went to our Plan B without finding the person that we were looking for, but that led us to contact Martha. Actually, Sis. Soncco contacted Martha before Hna Vitola and I could start talking! All we could do was watch speachlessly as this member invited someone that she didnt know to attend Church. We both congratulated Sis Soncco afterward because Martha was really interested in learning more after hearing the testimony of a member, and her response was classic:

Sis Soncco

¨Oh, thank you so much! I´ve been thinking about how I want to get better at sharing the gospel...I want to give away a Book of Mormon -- I just want a BAPTISM!¨

Me: ´´I do too, Sister Soncco!!!´´

Hna Vitola and I had a good laugh after that, and we had all the energy in the world to keep going forward receiving rejection! I testify that when we rely on the Lord and bear our afflictions well, the Lord will bless us. 

One of those blessings came about when Hna Vitola and I went to look for a reference. That family wasnt home, but we were able to meet with Olinda, a woman who lives in the same building. She answered the door a few weeks back as we were looking for the same reference, and we have been looking for her all this time in order to teach her. And this last we were able to! 

We met with Olinda, her son Nelson, and son-in-law Paul who is an athiest. We were hoping to teach about the Restoration more in depth, but the Spirit was in complete control of that lesson. My companion and I felt impressed to focus more on how God is our loving Heavenly Father and that He wants us to pray. At one point Olinda turns to us and asks us to share a spiritual experience that we´ve had with prayer. Who asks that? Only the people that are prepared! And at the end when Olinda was practicing praying she says this:

´´Did I do that right? I feel something incredibly in my heart...as if you´ve both just taught me the real way to pray.´´

We then took that time to teach her that she was feeling the Spirit. It was really such a beautiful lesson! After one month of nothing, we received new investigators that are truly searching for the truth. I cant fully explain that joy that I had in that moment!

The rest of this week continued to be spiritual. President Uceda of our area presidency came to the mission to teach all of the missionaries. That man is powerful! I now know what it means to ´´roar like a lion´´. We learned a lot about repentance, obedience, and how our spiritual worthiness will make us into powerful servants in the Lord´s Hands. I cant think of any better promise!

Today for p-day Hna Vitola and I had fun playing soccer with other missionaries. It was so FUN. I never realize how much I miss playing sports until Mondays. 

I love you all!

Hna Arroyo 

Improvement

It´s been one great week. 

I started it off by making a list of all the things that keep me from feeling the Spirit. It´s part of a 40-day Purification so that I can serve the Lord with all of my mind, heart, and strength. And I´ve never been more focused nor happier in my life! Morning and night I have those we teach on my mind, and I just feel an out-pouring of love for each one. My companion and I are working in-sync like never, which means that we teach with the Spirit, investigators progress and days just fly bye. (although, I can live without that last little bit.) Can life just continue to get any better? 

My favorite appointments this week were with Mercedes and Wilber. They are a part-member family that we are getting to know. Mercedes is just a star! She has a repentance process to go through, yet she has so much faith in the Lord. We know of her sincere desire to change because of her love for us and her desires to share the gospel with Wilber. She is always there to share her testimony and to gently invite him to learn and attend church...I LOVE that woman and her family. 

Oh! This week was also filled with opportunities to help others with Family history. We met with a less active sister that has a TON of information on her genealogy, but she needs help working the computer in order to transfer it all to familysearch.org. Sunday, the missionary couple in the area went searching for me during church in order to help translate their family history class into english. That was so fun!

My new favorite scripture is found in Alma 37:9. I´ve learned so much more about how the Book of Mormon brings others to a knowledge of Christ, and how that brings them to repent. I´ve been striving to apply it to my life, and I know that it is TRUE!

Hna Arroyo

Pres Uchtdorf, Family History, I´m not trunky!

Hello Family!

This past week started off amazingly. The temple in Trujillo was dedicated, and President Uchtdorf came to speak to us! Sadly I wasnt able to go and see him where he was speaking, but the word of God is still all the same. He, his wife Harriet, and his daughter each spoke about the temple and the blessings of attending. President Uchtdorf gave us counsel that can help us overcome whatever challenges we may have: keep the commandments. It´s as simple as that! If we strive to keep the commandments, no matter our circumstances or our challenges, we will receive divine guidance and be blessed and happy beyond measure. 

As far as work goes, many of our appointments fell through but the Lord made His will known in every situation. Hna Vitola and I made use of our time by searching for less active families and contacting references - we now have a number of new people to visit! 

One of the families has been inactive for years, but has been wanting to return to church for some time. The dad is a return missionary (yeah, melchezidek priesthood holder!) and his two little girls are old enough to be baptized. We are so excited to visit them, especially because they are a super bubbly family. Yeah!

Another family we met was contacted by elders in a nearby area, and it turns out that the mom has been inactive for two years. Her name is Mercedes and she told us that right before we stopped by her house, she had been praying for help to return to church. She is super humble, and showed her willingness to repent by coming to church this Sunday. That made us so happy!

This Saturday Hna Vitola and I also took part in this cool Family History stand at a fair here in Cusco. All of the missionaries have taken turns, and it finally was ours to contact people and invite them to learn about the Regional Archive here that takes fotos of ancient documents in order to make them available on the internet. I seriously havent been more happy that I was there getting to know complete strangers. People´s eyes just sparkled with excitment when they learned that they could find ancestral records for free on familysearch.org . I met a mad from Italy who is interested in helping take pictures of the documents and many cusquenians that want to learn how to start their family trees. That just shows how the spirit of Elijah is working on all people!

I´ve also been feeling a little sentimental this week. Living in the sister-missionary house of Cusco means that Hna Vitola and I see a lot of missionaries off as they end the mission. This week I´ve ran into elders and sisters that I met in the very beginning of my mission, and it´s a little hard to say goodbye to those who live here in South America. The thing is, you never know when you will see each other again! Sigh. It´s been a big wake-up call for me, which makes me want to live it up here in Peru while I can. I will go crying, that´s a promise, but it´s better to have loved than to never have had the experience. :)

Hna Arroyo

Our week in the Rainforest, the Temple, etc

1)  Our zone jerseys recently came in! Look at those muscles. Mmm. ;)

2) The temple of Trujillo Peru was dedicated this past Sunday and select chapels were converted into extensions of that temple in order to allow members to participate in the three sessions. While we were there, Hna Vitola and I ran into some friends! Sister Valensuela and Sister Hollingshead.

3 & 4)  During our visit to Puerto Maldonado (a city that`s located in the amazon. It`s like Hawaii!), I  went on exchanges with  Hna Azevedo. We taught some lessons and left with a few new patas. 

Oh! And there`s still some exciting news. Tonight President Uchtdorf will be talking to the members in Cusco! The meeting will be transmitted throughout the mission, so you can imagine how excited we are. It`s going to be so amazing!

This is all for this week. Love  you all!

Hna Arroyo

The Pinnacle of My Mission

This week has been CRAZY! Hna Ramos and I said our goodbyes, I arrived to my new sector in Cusco, received the training for new Sister Training Leaders - which is really just a fancy title to say that my companion and I serve the other sister missionaries - and we made mexican tacos! To be truthful, so much more happened than that, but there is no time to write about everything. 

What I will share is about a tender mercy that happened last change. 

As I arrived to my sector in Cusco, I ran into Hna Roman, an ex-companion (side note: I`m pretty much living in the centro for sister missionaries in the mission. Whenever someone new arrives or needs to do papers, receive medical attention in Cusco, etc, they all come to my sector. :) Sometimes my companion and I dont get to go to bed until midnight, but it is so fun to connect with all of the sisters! I wouldnt change it for the world.) and she told me some GIGANTIC news!

The whole last six weeks, while I was in Juliaca, the family that we had contacted and taught were not only Married, but they were BAPTIZED. You can bet that I cried like a baby. Hna Roman and I met Ronald and Yanet during a really hard time. Aside from some illness and companionship struggles, the Lord blessed us to find them. I kid you not, we were praying HARD to overcome our challenges and to do what the Savior would do. We were so, so weak, yet He moved us along and made us instruments in His Hands according as we relied on Him. I can now testify even more whole-heartedly that it is a blessing to be weak, and that by being humble, the Lord can bring about miracles. Even though we werent perfect as we taught Ronald and Yanet, we TRIED to give our all, which included continuous repentance, and as a result, the Spirit was able to testify of our words as we taught...We did absolutely nothing of ourselves; the Lord did it all and allowed us to have joy with Him in bringing souls unto Christ. I just, cant perfectly express how happy I am right now. I`ve been pondering a blessing that I was given as I was set-apart as a full-time missionary which talked about this feeling. It promised me that in serving, I would feel more joy than what I felt when I was baptized, and that bringing one soul unto Christ would bring unspeakable joy. That promise has been true. And this experience has been the pinnacle of my mission! Gosh - I love the gospel! 

Can you believe that we were able to teach Ronald and Yanet all of the lessons in 6 weeks, and they were married and baptized 6 weeks later? It all happened in 3 months from the time that we contacted their family! If that`s not a miracle, then I dont know what is. 

Also here are some pictures from this week:

We made mexican tacos. 

This all for this week! Love you all. 

Hna Arroyo

The shock of my mission

It´s going to be a challenge to write this week, because so much has happened within the last couple of minutes.

Have I ever told you about how awesome Hna Ramos is? She is so fun to work with, and the best part of being friends is that we will be able to hangout after the mission because she is also from Vegas! (Woohoo!) I love her to death. Here are some more dorky pictures of us:

(1) Hna Ramos and I get a little crazy after lunch. We decided that it would be fun to teach our Pensionista´s daughter how to do a dip. 

 2) We took this picture as we were doing service for a family that manufactures chairs. That´s a cool drill gun in Hna Ramos´s hands.)

I´ve had the time of my life being here in Juliaca. It was a tender mercy to come here and meet so many special people that we´ve been able to teach, but the Lord says that after six weeks, it is time to go! I will be going to be serving in Cusco as a Sister Leader, and so Hna Ramos and I will be parting soon. :,(( I´m still in shock about it all, and never in my life have I felt so inadequate! It´s a testament that the Lord really does call us in our weaknesses. :) Nevertheless, I am so excited for this new adventure and to learn all that I need to! (I know it is going to be A LOT of things.)

Anyway, this week was special! We met with Guido again, and he is progressing little by little. One of our less actives recently just put in her mission papers, and she is pumped to get ready to serve! We´ve also had several appointments with a less active familiy, La Familia Orihuela, and they are opening up to us more and more. We´re getting them started on reading the Book of Mormon as a family, and the kids came to Church this Sunday, all happy and smiley. Not to mention, they invited us over for the birthday of their daughter Dayan, and we ate a super yummy chocolate tres leches cake!! :) 

There is probably so much more to report, but nothing else is coming to mind. It´s been a great week!

I love you all! Always remember to pray and read the scriptures for guidance. They are the gateways to receiving personal revelation!

Hna Arroyo

 

The armpit of the mission

Juliaca is my home! It is seriously the armpit of the mission as far as scenery and baptisms go, but I couldnt be happier. Maybe it`s the way we have to bundle up from the icy weather and mud, or how the people are so endearing and stuff our faces til we beg for mercy, or maybe that my companion is also a Nevadan and we share a mutual longing to eat Cane`s - either way, it is a paradise! And my heart is so incredibly happy to be in this muddy, cold place. It goes all against reason, but I take that as a confirmation that I am where I need to be right now. I testify that our deserts in life end up being our paradises, and that Heavenly Father leads us through them in order to help us learn from our afflictions and become even more like Him. Part of that process also includes having a fulness of joy in this life! I am a witness of that. 

I passed through the trials of my life while being in Quillabamba, and I`ve come out singing and wanting to just serve everyone and anyone. There was a price that had to be paid of course, which was submitting my pride and will to Heavenly Father´s. But I can say now that my trials have led me to pray even harder, to rely on the Lord wholeheartedly, and to seek to love others despite their bad decisions. True happiness is really found in focusing on everyone but one`s self, and in seeking to be more like the Savior. It`s taken me a while to learn that, but it is better late than never! There is a peace that can be found in whole-hearted dicipleship, no matter how much we may sometimes deny that and seek to do what we want rather than what the Lord wants. I challenge each of you to go and ask Him what His will is for your life, and to seek to do it whole-heartedly. I can promise you that the Lord will give you the strength to do it, and you will one day find that we lose nothing of worth in losing ourselves in the Lord`s service. 

Well, this is all for now! I dont have much else to share than by saying that I am giving my best to learning my new sector and in being a little more proactive everyday to do what the Savior would do. Life is great!

Love, 

Hna Arroyo

1. Our view outside of our apartment. I`ll make sure to send a picture of the mud next week!

2. My lovely companion Hna Ramos and I. 

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La Conferencia General & Semana Santa

We experienced some unforseen stresses this week when my companion and Hna Rodríguez (the comanion of Hna Baker) needed to go to Cusco Tuesday, so Hna Baker and I have been living it up together!

Not gonna lie, it can be super stressful to work two sectors, no matter how easy-going we try to be. And at least for me, it`s uncomfortable to work without my other-half (aka, my companion), and to adjust to another. (Boy, am I going to have problems this next week during changes.) But no matter the incommodities, Hna Baker and I get along pretty well, and we have been giving the work our all! Even when our companion`s initial 2-day-stay has extended into a week, we`ve stopped keeping track of the days and things just feel like normal. :)

If I`ve learned something this week, it`s that I can never stop working hard as a missionary even when there are unforseen challenges - like your companion travelling. I`ll be a missionary until I get released by my stake president, and even up until then I will be searching for people to contact and teach. I wont ever have this chance again, so I am going to LIVE it UP!

We visited with Ronal & Yanet :D Can I just reemphasize how much I LOVE them? With the help of our 2nd counselor of the branch, we taught them about celestial marriage and the Family Proclamation. They seriously are good, honest, and prepared people. They`ve been practically living the góspel without knowing it, and when the Spirit testifies of this to them in lessons, they just shine! Ronal almost brought me to tears in our lesson as he affirmed that they want to be baptized and be an eternal family. Maybe I am just super emotional or the Spirit was blasting full-forcé in that moment, but I have never been more happy in all of my misión than I was when he said that. Of course, there will be challenges along the way for them - as it is for anyone who begins their discipleship - but I know that Heavenly Father will bless them to the degree of their faith and good works. Ronal and Yanet are attending Church every Sunday, creating frienships in the branch and growing spiritually. :) As far as the work we are doing to help them get married, we are getting some papers ready and have asked for the help of the branch in order to help them with some of the fees of the municipalidad that they just dont have the money to pay. Please pray for them! This family has goals to go to the temple. :)

 When I am not loving my investigatores, I am loving being used by the Spirit to teach. Our misión leader also went to Cusco this weekend for a District training, so I volunteered to prepare the Gospel Principles class this Sunday. It was on the Atonement, and during the whole process of preparing spiritually and outlining ideas for the class, I felt guided to know what to focus on. I didnt end up using everything that I prepared, but the Spirit was warmly present in that class and He told me which scriptures to use to explain the doctrine of the Atonement, why it`s important, and the blessings that come through Christ`s sufferings, death, and resurrection. The class members were making comments, asking questions, and we all learned by looking up scriptures and breaking down the meanings. When we had time at the end, several of them chose to give their testimonies. In my eyes, that class was a miracle. We all went in seeking to learn more, and left full of the Spirit. I live for moments like that!

This week I`ve pondered more about the short time it is to serve as a full-time missionary. The truth is, I take powerful teaching moments like that Sunday class and our lesson with Ronal and Yanet for granted. I dont even want to imagine how different it will be to not have the authority to preach the góspel and have the influence of the Spirit to call others to repentance. It`s more than unique! And...I just gotta make the most of it while I can!

On another note, this week is CONFERENCE. I loved the Womens Meeting, and I am getting hyped up over here about listening to the Prophet. The newest news on the misión grape-vine says that us gringos wont be able to watch it in English in a separate room like we are accostomed to, but no matter. We`ll get to watch CONFERENCE! This time of year is just so special, and I am grateful for the góspel that I have in my life. Everyday I draw closer to my Savior, and I can have an eternal perspective in everything.

I hope you all enjoy this week and take time to listen to the words of living prophets. I know that they are called of God, and they He guides us through them. I also know that my Redeemer lives, and the relationship that I have with Him is worth all of the riches in the world! Nothing else matters.

I am out of time, but make sure to enjoy this Easter and go watch ``Because He Lives``! Here`s a link:

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.youtube.com_watch-3Fv-3DBZqTRSVA1YA&d=BQIBaQ&c=z0adcvxXWKG6LAMN6dVEqQ&r=qrVNCddiHovBcU_4Cg7CajfHJyUGOcm8knDRbWG-sRA&m=2d0AyHXVWOLrdGJ6tVrOXdWjFrUvjCFNuimDHn72-a0&s=qerSxluYa6n22VIlmV1quIXlq55dlNy8EmLQZlCBvXU&e=

Love,

Hna Arroyo

(sorry that there`s no fotos this week! I`ll work on that, promise.)

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Exercising Faith

I´ve got some updates on Ronal and Yanet! 

They are progressing faster than any other investigators that I think  I´ve ever had. The scriptures talk about the gift of believing that comes through the Spirit, and I am pretty convinced that is a gift that they have. Every follow up we do with their committments, Ronal makes a comment, ´´...Yes, I was read ing and studying the  pamplets, and it all just makes sense. Heavenly Father gives us commandments to bless us, and so why not be obedient to what He says? I´ve realized that we´ve had things backwards for a long time...´´

This couple is just so great! Our last lesson was about keeping the Sabbath holy, to which Ronal and Yanet readily and whole-heartedly accepted. We then talked about their baptism and possible dates for their marriage. Ronal was previously married, and so he needs to wait for a document that declares that his divorce has been finalized. We´re helping he and Yanet get all of their paper work done so that they can continue progressing. We cant officially put a date on their baptism right now, so we committed them to  pray about an answer. Ronal even said that he was going to fast and give us an answer in our appointment Tuesday - tommorrow! :)

On another note, Hna Román and I keep striving to improve. Not too long ago President Harbertson gave us new standards of excellence for contacting families (12 weekly) and asking for references (20 weekly). We´ve been contacting and asking for references like crazy women, even if it means running to catch a family that we see walking away in the opposite direction. It is really fun for us, and we reward ourselves with smoothies everytime that we reach our daily goals. 

And we are seeing the fruits of our labors! Not every family loves us or wants to listen, but there always is a diamond in the rough. Just the other day we contacted a young couple, and right from the start they  began sharing with us how they have been looking for a church to attend, how the´ve seen signs of the second coming and want to prepare for the day that Christ comes  again, etc. Meeting golden families like that one makes all our our goal-setting and crazy contacting worth it.  

This Church is true! 

One more thing, the drunk men of Quillabamba are always cat-calling us where ever we walk (that´s nothing new), but the other day one man dropped a really smooth pick-up line:

´´En la antiguedad no había enfermedad entre de todos los Incas como tú!´´ 

That pretty much made my day.  

Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Hna Arroyo

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Trials to help us grow

In this email I want to share my testimony of prayer. It has become totally invaluable to me now like never before as I strive to better apply the gospel. I know that when we pray, we are literally communicating with the Creator of the Universe, and that He listens because we are His children on this earth. His whole purpose is to help every one of us return to live with Him, but He cant if we dont pray. I make mistakes everyday, and so I am constantly praying for help to change and recieve strength to do it. And I know, that every time that I have prayed, Heavenly Father has answered me. I now cant aford not to pour out my heart to Him everyday! If I dont have a nice long conversation with Him in the morning, I wont be able to function for the rest of the day nor have the power to help others. 

This past week, before going into a lesson, I noticed that my companion was mad about something, but didnt want to talk about it. I prayed for my heart for patience, and was about to suggest that we cancel our appointment, when Hna Roman knocked on the door of Ronald and Janet, and Ronald answered and invited us in before the words left my mouth. I have enough time in the mission to know that if we dont have the Spirit as a companionship, there is no way that we are going to teach! But there was no turning back, and we entered totally relying on the Lord to help us procure the Spirit to teach. 

At first the situation seemed hopeless, but the more I prayed for myself and my companion so that we could be instuments in the Lord´s Hands, the Spirit slowly began to enter. I recieved the strength to forget about what happened ten minutes before, to love my companion and to care about how she felt. As we began teaching Ronald and Janet about the Restoration, I looked over at my companion and noticed how the Spirit filled her eyes, and we both were able to be guided by Him. The Holy Ghost filled that room like electricity, and the family that we were teaching were comprehending the doctrine and testifying of how it all made sense to them and that it is true. That was a miracle given how we felt when we entered their house!

Hna Roman and I were hugging each other as we walked out of that lesson. And the miracle came about through prayer and faith! I keep thinking back to what would have happened if we had been too prideful to allow the Spirit to work in us, and how much different would have been the reactions of Ronald and Janet. I do know that if we didnt have prayed, totally relying on the Lord, we wouldnt have been made instruments in His Hands. 

I love this gospel! Keep praying in faith and seeking to follow Christ. He lives, and I have this testimony after many prayers and listening to the Spirit. I promise you that if you pray and rely on the Lord, He will guide you, strengthen you, and fulfill all of your righteous dreams! He has done all of this and more for me so far.

Hna Arroyo

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Two New Members

Flor and Jaset were baptized this Saturday! And the best part is, Johan, Flor´s oldest son, was able to baptize his mom and little brother. :) They had so much support from the branch; they all beamed before and after it all. After years and years of receiving the discussions, Flor and Jaset are finally members of the Church. :D Halelujah!

Sunday was also very spiritual for all of us. Right before Flor and Jaset entered the chapel, Hna Roman and I were starting to get worried because they were late for their confirmations, but they came right on time. And during their confirmation, all we could do was pray for them that they would feel the Spirit witness of the convenants that they had made, and Heavenly Father made sure to answer our prayers. Right after, we went to gospel principles, and justo the lesson was on the Holy Ghost. Flor raised her hand to make a comment about how she feels the Spirit and shared her experience about being confirmed. Jaset had turned to her and said, ¨´Mom, I have this special feeling...but I cant explain it...´´ Flor: ´´Me, too! It´s the Holy Ghost!´´

I. love, them. SO much! They were both glowing and  talking with everyone and anyone the rest of the day. This weekend has been another testament to me that this gospel is true!

The baptismal services of Flor and Jaset was also a great opportunity to invite our investigators to attend. Gloria, the nonmember wife of a less active came with her five year-old daughter! At one point she turned over to my companion and asked her, ´´´Sister, when will I be baptized?´´ I´ve felt like on cloud 9 this whole week. After so many months of feeling like we werent teaching well or doing things right because we couldnt see the effects of our hard work, Heavenly Father has blessed us with people who are ready and willing to make covenants with Him now. Any good effort never is in vane.

I love you all!

Hna Arroyo

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Re: Progress and birthday fun

Now you know how I felt when your mom said she would marry Alex. It was so exciting. It caught her so off guard when she said she wanted to be baptized. And we told her she couldn't because she wasn't married. She was shocked!

It sounds like your birthday was fun. And the work is moving forward. Good luck. 

Love you. 

Angela

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 2, 2015, at 11:07 AM, Jacqulyn Arroyo <jacqulyn.arroyo@myldsmail.net> wrote:

This week has been about progress.

To start off with the wonderful news, Percy and Ana have decided to get married! Halelujah. They attend church like they have been members for years. We are feeling really happy and relieved, and so I am sure that the rest of the branch is silently singing. :) We went over to visit them this week to talk out the details and found out that they are trying to learn how to be kind and love one another better. We noticed that there has been a lack of loving communication between them, which has attributed to grudges on both ends, so Hna Roman and I gave our personal testimonies of how the gospel blesses families and helps us love and forgive one another. We even shared how being on a mission and living with someone we dont know can be hard, but how communication and patience is key. It was a great lesson! We invited them both pray together as a couple, and to come to the activity we had that night. They came and were able to mingle with other couples! It was great.

We´ve had several lessons with Flor and Jaset, and they are ready to be baptized on the 14th. Flor is so excited to be a member of the church and to have her whole family unified. Her happiness during our lessons was contagious. It makes us happy :)

We are now visiting Vicente at night when his daughters are home. He has grandkids that have been baptized, but dont attend too consistently, and so we have hopes to motivate them with the help of their moms. It has turned out to work pretty well! The little kids climb all over Vicente every time that we are over to read from the Book of Mormon, and are always asking when we will be coming over to visit with them and their moms, too. As crazy as little kids can be sometimes, they just want love, attention, and to be close to their parents. The gospel is the glue that keeps families together, and my testimony is strengthened whenever I can see how even little kids notice this truth. They might not be able to explain it, but the gospel brings happiness and feelings of togetherness. It is just so great! Vicente also keeps coming to Church even if he has to walk slowly every step of the way, and his grandkids are right there with him. 

As for my birthday, it was awesome! I woke up that morning to loud birthday music and hugs from the other hermanas. They tricked me out of my bed and attacked me with eggs and flour (that´s a tradition in Peru). It took about 4 washes to get all of the gunk out, but it was worth it. Afterward, Roxana and Brissa made a surprise visit with hot chocolate and cake. :) 

The rest of the day was spent working, contacting, and teaching. The last hour of the day, we went to our weekly coorelation meeting, and as we were leaving, our mission leader and his brother, the first counselor in the branch walked in with a surprise birthday cake. Not too long after, there was another surprise with eggs and flour. :) It was a crazy fun day with lots of surprises! It was fun to turn 20 here in Peru. 

Gotta go - but i´ll send pictures of the crazinesss next week!

Hna Arroyo

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Progress and birthday fun

This week has been about progress.

To start off with the wonderful news, Percy and Ana have decided to get married! Halelujah. They attend church like they have been members for years. We are feeling really happy and relieved, and so I am sure that the rest of the branch is silently singing. :) We went over to visit them this week to talk out the details and found out that they are trying to learn how to be kind and love one another better. We noticed that there has been a lack of loving communication between them, which has attributed to grudges on both ends, so Hna Roman and I gave our personal testimonies of how the gospel blesses families and helps us love and forgive one another. We even shared how being on a mission and living with someone we dont know can be hard, but how communication and patience is key. It was a great lesson! We invited them both pray together as a couple, and to come to the activity we had that night. They came and were able to mingle with other couples! It was great.

We´ve had several lessons with Flor and Jaset, and they are ready to be baptized on the 14th. Flor is so excited to be a member of the church and to have her whole family unified. Her happiness during our lessons was contagious. It makes us happy :)

We are now visiting Vicente at night when his daughters are home. He has grandkids that have been baptized, but dont attend too consistently, and so we have hopes to motivate them with the help of their moms. It has turned out to work pretty well! The little kids climb all over Vicente every time that we are over to read from the Book of Mormon, and are always asking when we will be coming over to visit with them and their moms, too. As crazy as little kids can be sometimes, they just want love, attention, and to be close to their parents. The gospel is the glue that keeps families together, and my testimony is strengthened whenever I can see how even little kids notice this truth. They might not be able to explain it, but the gospel brings happiness and feelings of togetherness. It is just so great! Vicente also keeps coming to Church even if he has to walk slowly every step of the way, and his grandkids are right there with him. 

As for my birthday, it was awesome! I woke up that morning to loud birthday music and hugs from the other hermanas. They tricked me out of my bed and attacked me with eggs and flour (that´s a tradition in Peru). It took about 4 washes to get all of the gunk out, but it was worth it. Afterward, Roxana and Brissa made a surprise visit with hot chocolate and cake. :) 

The rest of the day was spent working, contacting, and teaching. The last hour of the day, we went to our weekly coorelation meeting, and as we were leaving, our mission leader and his brother, the first counselor in the branch walked in with a surprise birthday cake. Not too long after, there was another surprise with eggs and flour. :) It was a crazy fun day with lots of surprises! It was fun to turn 20 here in Peru. 

Gotta go - but i´ll send pictures of the crazinesss next week!

Hna Arroyo

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The sons of Mosiah

Have you ever considered how amazing the sons of Mosiah were? I love to read about their missionary work and the way that they prepared themselves spiritually to preach with power and authority. They are huge examples of the kind of missionary I want to become!

It also comforts me to know that even they recieved trials in the work, and doubted a little when things were hard. As of lately, I have been considering what I can improve in order to follow their examples of faith when the field seems to be dry.

For a while Flor de Maria and Jaset went missing for a month every time we showed up for an appointment, and it seemed like the rest of the teaching pool decided to take vacations far out of our area. Hna Roman and I contacted like crazy, trying to find those that were ready and willing to listen to the gospel, and out of all of those contacts, none showed up. It was a little discouraging! And has brought me to consider options that I never looked for. The whole experience has made me pray a little more, be a little more creative, and prepare myself to be an instrument in the Lord´s Hands.  I have learned a whole lot! The first and foremost, is reliance on the Lord.

I chose to rely on Him this week by smiling and choosing to be happy no matter the circumstance. Hna Roman and I decided to stop by the home of some less active members who have always made excuses for not to talk to us. We walked into their tienda to try to win their confidence, and did so by making them laugh and asking them about themselves. At one point I felt the impression to pull out my Family History pamphlet that I´ve filled with pictures of the family, and allowed them to look at them for a while. It was amazing how easily it was to share a short message and break the ice! The dad, whose name is Jose Carlos couldnt stop looking at Alex´s picture and kept saying how much he recognized him from somewhere, but he couldnt remember exactly. Hna Roman then happily commented, ´´Hermano, it´s because you were friends in the preexistence!´´ I loved every minute of that visit. We now have an appointment to teach them how to do Family History tomorrow.

Also, after nearly a month of trying to connect with Flor and Jaset to teach them, we had an appointment this last Saturday. I was nervous right before going into that visit that she was going to drop us, but to our relief, it turns out that she has just had medical problems and trouble keeping the appointments. We talked it out, and she told us that every time we had an appointment, something came up and prevented her and Jaset from making it! That was music to our ears. My companion and I talked about opposition that comes to us when we are doing something good and important, and them transitioned into talking about the requirements of baptism (D&C 20:37). That turned out to be one of the best lessons ever! The spirit was really strong as we committed Flor and Jaset to keep preparing for baptism and following the example of Christ.

Those two experiences were some of my favorites of the week! I just want to share that the best and happiest solution to any problem is to depend on the Lord. He will comfort us with the Spirit and guide us to the right road if we just look for Him.

Quiero compartir mi testimonio con ustedes. Yo sé que el Evangelio de Jesucristo ha sido restaurado por un profeta de Dios. Hoy en día, tenemos la autoridad a efectuar ordenanzas sagradas que nos conducirán a la presencia de El. Yo amo a este Evangelio con todo de mi corazón y quiero compartirlo con cada uno de mis hermanos y hermanas. Siga confiando en La Expiación de Jesucristo. Sé que El es la único fuente que brindará paz en este mundo y en el venidero. ¡Soy su amiga en el evangelio y los quiero muchísimo! 

Hna Arroyo

Adventures with Hna Roman!

This week started off on a sad note because of transfers. Hna Jesperson and I had a really fun time being companions, and so it was hard to be separated. It is amazing how close you get to each other in the mission! I just hope that we will be able to see each other soon.

My new companion is the lovely Peruvian from Piura, Hna Roman! I seriously have felt so blessed with every one of my companions. Each one has taught me something knew, and Hna Roman does just that every day! She is really silly and loves to laugh. She is always smiling and making every situation better. I just love her so much already and it feels as if we have been friends for years! I am so excited to have at least one transfer together as companions. :D

We had a really fun week going around doing visits with investigators and branch members. I´ll share some fotos that we took to entertain ourselves:

One morning we decided to go and visit a less active young woman named Pamela.  We didnt have her number to tell her that we were coming, so we stopped by as she and her mom were cooking. Hna Roman and I took advantage of the opportunity by helping them cook and getting to know them. We must have done a great job because we left Pamela´s house with a return date for a lesson and our arms full of oranges, mangos, and plantains. Blessings from the Lord!

Another day we went and visited Percy and Ana to teach them how to do family history. They still dont want to get married, which complicates things, but they still want to come to church and learn, so we still teach them once or twice a week. Before Hna Jesperson and I were praying really hard to know how we could get them progressing, and then the idea came to teach them family history. After our lesson, we left them with the pamphlets to fill out, and we were so surprised to come back the following lesson to see how Ana had filled hers out. It was a miracle! And this week we helped Percy and Ana make acounts on familysearch.org. It was a happy moment for Percy to find a birth record for his mom. We indexed her information online and sent it to the temple! Although they havent been baptized, they are gaining a testimony of the vicarious work in the temple and are anxious to get the work done for their ancestors. It is a miracle to me to see so much light in their eyes as they search for records. Now all we need to do is help them prepare to recieve the ordinances of baptism, confirmation, and all of the rest in the temple for themselves! 

Now for the really sad part of the week. Do you all remember Vicente and Cristina, recent converts from the hermanas before us? Vicente has been really sick, and Cristina has always been worrying about her husband. They´ve waited anxiously for the time when they could be sealed in the temple, and this past week and a half, Cristina died suddenly of an anerysm. It has been so sad to go to her funeral and see Vicente broken. But the most insperational thing has been to see how he has thanked God for all of his trials, even the death of Cristina. Even though he still isnt healthy enough to travel all the way to the Lima temple, his faith is stronger than ever! It almost made me cry to see him walk into the capilla yesterday to partake of the sacrament. He is such a huge example of faithfulness to all those who know him.

I have to go now, but I love you all!

Hna Arroyo

Cambios!

This week is cambios! 

Hna Jesperson and I am so sad. She´s recieved a change to Cusco, and I will be recieving a latina companion. It is actually bittersweet. Change is always good, and latinas are fun, but Hna Jesperson and I just want to be companions still!

We had some rough times opening a new sector, adjusting to Quillabamba, and fighting off evil spirits, that we have become close. I hate goodbyes! But I know that her next companion is going to be so grateful for her fighting spirit and her drive. 

A wonderful thing happened this week! Actually, many wonderful things happened, but the most wonderful event was when Juana was baptized! Do you remember Juana? She is about 70 years old, and was a reference to us given by a member from Arequipa, Peru. We quickly came to love her in the 2 1/2 weeks that we taught her before we got information confirmed that she lived outside of our sector. The elders from the neighboring area then began teaching her. Well, she is now a member of the Church! I about exploded with happiness when those elders called to invite my companion and I to her baptism. It was a great day!

As far as other news go, Flor de Maria and her son Jaset have a new baptismal date for the 30th of this month, but she has been hard to contact, so we might have to change it again. :( That´s okay, though. We have been doing our part to help them make and keep covenants!

Hna Arroyo

Re: A Peruvian Christmas

Correction to number three, the sisters are sitting with our pensionista ROXANA. :)

On Mon, Jan 5, 2015 at 12:06 PM, Jacqulyn Arroyo <jacqulyn.arroyo@myldsmail.net> wrote:

1) I couldnt wait until Christmas morning to open packages. I was very much pleased to see that a very kind soul sent 5 lbs of peanutbutter. Jackpott!

2) Hna Jesperson invented her own wrapping paper out of old pages of Ensigns. And look! Doesnt she resemble an Elf-on-the-shelf? We thought so. 

3) Hermana Luque, Hna Garcia, and Brissa on Christmas Eve. :)

Opposition & New living arrangments

I wont go into too much detail about this week, but I will briefly share some of the latest happenings.

Celebrating New Years in Peru was awesome! We still had a normal workday, but we ´´stayed up´´ a little late to watch all of the crazy huge, booming fireworks that went off all through the night. I have some videos that I will try to share! It was definitely interesting to see the contrast between Christmas and the start of the New Year. There were way more craziness and fireworks on the 1st, which is one of many signs of the ebbing focus on Christ that is happening throughout the world. But that just makes my time here as a missionary of Christ all the more special! I get to help bring others back to Him, and feel the joy of being an instrument in His Hands.

But being an emissary of Christ isnt easy! Besides the obvious fact of being far away from home in a foreign country, learning a new language, opposition is very real, and comes in more forms than the everyday drunk man who hits on us in the street. Believe me! Hna Jesperson and I. the latinas, and the hermana leaders that visited us this weak have experienced a whirlwind of things this week that involve haunted houses and being homeless.

Before you go off all crazy (Mom), we are doing fine. :) Let me just say again - opposition is REAL, and the things that oppose us come in all forms. I have felt this from the moment I decided to serve a mission, and even more so now that I am set apart as a missionary. To be honest, I thought the opposition would stop once I got to Perú. I know now that the hard trials that I recieved months before was just a beginning. But I am perfectly okay with that! I asked for more trials that would push me to apply the gospel more in my life, didnt I? It is perfect!

Anyway, an unwanted, unseen visiter(s) is/are occupying our apartment, and we no longer feel safe there. For now, we are staying with our Pensionista, the lovely Roxana and her daughter Brissa, until we get our new living arraingment approved by the mission office this week. We are so excited to move! We´ll once again be able to study and sleep in peace. I cant tell you how much that means to us! 

I know this letter is super vague, but one day, when I get back I will share exactly what happened. It is just too creepy, and not very edifying to share more than what is necessary. :D I will just keep this short, and end with saying that I am sure that something big and wonderful is going to happen soon or else the adversary wouldnt be so angry with us.

I love you all! Thank you for all of your prayers of protection. Me, my companion, and the other sisters that live with us have felt them. They mean a lot the us! I also promise to have more next week - until then, take care!

Hna Arroyo