crazy P-day schedule

Haley's mom here-

I got a quick email from Haley requesting I post something today. Because of the Christmas/ New Year's holidays her p-days have been mixed up a bit. Since she Skyped yesterday, her next P-day is on New Year's Day, Thursday, Jan 1st. I think on Monday, Jan. 5th she will be back to her regular Monday P-day schedule. When we talked to her yesterday, she sounded like she is having the time of her life in Peru. This is what she wrote:

 

Hey, so I just wanted to read the crazy amount of emails I had, and I just talked to you guys yesterday. So I'll write more next week. (And I'll try to talk about my investigators for once.)

Could you maybe post something on my blog just to let people know it will be another week? Apparently my friends actually read it! Cool stuff!

Love,

Haley

Sometimes Peruvian Men Propose to Me

So this week was eventful, and not. My companion got infected with el gripe (the cold) and we just stayed in our room for three days while she healed. Man, I have never studied so much in my life!

 

So basically everything in our cuarto broke. My drawer. The sink. And the lightbulb in the bathroom went out. It took my comp three lightbulbs to finally get one to work. (She broke the first two...) But we just use the shower as a sink as well. So, missionary life!

 

Tuesday morning, the 9th of December, I was proposed to for the first time in my life. But the real story: We were just walking to breakfast, and white girls are just considered really pretty here, and this one guy crossing the street pointed at me and said, I am going to marry you! (But in Spanish). Don't worry, I said no. Being a missionary is too fun. And I'm just not ready for that step in my life yet. :P Yeah, all the attention here is actually kinda annoying.

But I'm not any better than the Peruvians. Last night, we were walking back to our cuarto from dinner, and there was this guy up ahead of us, so I turn to Hermana Kingsford and ask, "Is he white?" In a normal tone of voice, because I'm used to English being a secret language here. She responds, "I can't tell, let's get closer." So we start walking faster, and she just stares at him as we pass him. He stopped at a garbage can, and was kinda chuckling, so I'm pretty sure he was white, and speaks english. My my comp is still unsure. Yeah...

 

So I also had a moment of glory this week. So near our pension, there's this corner. And this guy stopped us, (and turned out to be a pastor). He then proceeded to try to disprove our religion with wildly misinterpreted scriptures from both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. He used 2 Nephi 29:3-4 which talks about people in our days saying A Bible a Bible, we have no need for more Bible. Or something along those lines. And he tried to say that this couldn't be true because the word Bible didn't exist back then. Because, you know, God doesn't know everything, and revelation doesn't exist or something. He's a pastor! He believes in this stuff too! At least from the time of the Bible... Goodness. He also tried a scripture from the Bible that talks about false prophets and points at our nametags. Yeah... So anyways, my comp was trying to explain scriptures, and he was arguing back. So I finally just butted in and bore my testimony about how I know the Book of Mormon is true through prayer and a witness of the Holy Ghost, not through my own learning. And then I invited him to pray about it, and ask God. And then I said we had an appointment and had to go. It was awesome. My heart was beating though. It's scary to do that in Spanish! It was actually a really awesome moment, but afterwards, my comp and I laughed about it so much. It was such a cliche missionary moment. And she describes it as trumpets sounding, and how I was glowing.

 

So this week we had our Christmas Party with the pres. We got fed the oh so original meal of chicken and french fries (I eat that at least two times a week). Each zone did a skit. Hopefully videos will one day end up on facebook so I can watch them again, because they were funny! One zone did basically a skit of a new missionary, so I related very well. But it was basically hilarious, but probably more so because I'm a missionary.

They also had everyone from each country go up one country at a time and share about their culture and Christmas traditions. It was SO cool to see where everyone was from! Basically most of latin america is covered. And then a bajillion from the USA.We also got ornaments (yay! Continuing traditions!), and a christmas card from the first presidency. And I got to talk to the other sisters in my district. (I love them a lot. So it makes me super happy to see them!)

 

So transfers are this week, and we all thought Elder Wilson was getting transferred, but he's staying. Which means next transfer what will propbably happen is: Elder Wilson will get transferred, Elder Rojas will finish his mission, and my trainer will get transferred. Leaving me the only missionary in my ward, with three new to the area. Yikes! But I have six weeks to prepare. :)

 

That is all.

Love

Hermana Brogan

I'm Peruana!!!

Okay, not really. So basically this week:

I have a really strong body. My comp has basically forced me to double my normal walking speed, and I have! And it doesn't wear me out as much anyore. It only took four weeks, and my body is adjusted to missionary work! I was sick last week (just a small bug-no biggy). But most north americans usually get really sick the first couple weeks in the field. So basically I'm blessed. :) And I'm all good an healthy and happy now!

We went to a bosque (forest) today with our district! Oh, I love talking to other people. It was really fun, but no stories. Except we took a combi- and I have now taken every form of peruvian transport: taxis, moto, collectivos, and combis. Yay! Motos are my favorite. Taxis are the nicest. Also, one of the elders in my district is really into deep doctrine. It's ridiculous. But it makes me laugh, so that's cool.

I sing too high for peruvians. They asked me to direct the music for the zone meeting this week, and I started the song too high, and ended up singing almost by myself... Awkward. 

Okay, I really am not Peruana, BUT: 1. We ran into a member on the street, and talked to him for a bit, and then he asked how long we have in Peru. So I said two months (mas o menos), and he asked if I was from Peru. I said no, but he was so surprised I knew Castellano (what they call spanish here). He then asked where I was from, I said California and he replied THAT's how I know it. I told him I'm actually still learning. I'm learning it on the mission.

2.Also, one of our investigators, Nancy is awesome! So we took her and her four year old daughter Janella to the Christmas devotional last night, and it ended up starting an hour later than they announced at church, so we went outside and she got us food (ah shoot it was Sunday! Shoulda said no... Awkard) But anyways, a lady out there that we contacted asked if Nancy's daughter ws mine. Um, I'm sorry, but do I look Peruana to you? Janella does not look like a white person's kid... But it made me laugh.

So in summary I'm Peruana.No, but the devotional was so good (and in Spanish! I only understood so much), but listening to motab was SO nice!!!

Also, Nancy is kinda like an older sister. She wouldn't let my comp and I out of her house until she fixed her socks and Nancy did her hair. SO funny. 

Also, if you guys haven't yet, watch the 'He is the gift' video on the lds websites! It's so good!

People down here are so humble, and tell us about miracles in their lives all the time. This one lady had her daughter come back to life after having a dream about seeing a light. I also heard a story of healing, and other things, but they're more personal- too much for this email I think. But it's just really cool to see what faith can do!

We have a rough baptismal date with a lady named Berta. She's very sweet, and really loves what we have to tell her about temple ordinances (especially work for the dead). Her husband passed away a short time ago.

So we eat with members on weekends, so our pensionista doesn't have to work, but who signed up for our lunch after fast sunday? None other than our amazing pensionista Violeta. It made me so happy. She cooks the best food down here! She's going to open a restaurant in winter time down here. :)

I finished reading the Spanish Book of Mormon! Yay! It's true. It all is true. I love the gospel and the hope therein.

I can make jokes in Spanish! In a lesson we were teaching about prayer. We were helping them prepare to have things to say in the prayer and my comp asked something they were thankful for. So me in my pride responded, 'you know, like how the sister missionaries come visit you.' I promise it was actually funny then...

So after next pday the 15th, we don't have pday until... CHRISTMAS the 25th. So don't worry when there is no email in two weeks. I'll try to give you a good estimate next week of when we will skype...

That's all. I love you all!

Hna Brogan

Sometimes People Bow to Us

But really. Sometimes people literally bow to us. I don't know why. It's really weird. It happened three times this week. I have a suspicion that it's because we're norteamericanas... Meaning white. Which is apparently really attractive down here... 

Also, this one guy stopped traffic on a busy street for me to cross the street... That was also extremely weird. Like, really, I can wait twenty seconds for the light to change. It isn't that big of a deal... But whatever. If you insist.

So one of our pension's friends came to talk to us. He's trilingual-Russian, Spanish, and English. So he's peruano, but lived in Russia for twenty five years for some reason (I forget). So basically a peruano man speaking English with a really thick Russian accent. That's was pretty cool. He lives in Texas now.

So we taught this one lady this week (I caved and will now write about cool investigators- so hopefully you all don't get bored :) ) But anyways, we always buy bodoques from her (she's like 85 years old and super super sweet). Bodoques are like fruit popsicle things. We always get Lucuma ones. I really like them. They kinda taste like bread dough. But anyways, we taught her a really good lesson, and then she gave us free bodoques afterwards! Yay! Also, I've taught the first vision like 20 times this week. Good thing I memorized that Joseph Smith History scripture in the CCM. My comp doesn't have it memorized anymore. But I say it so much, that I doubt I'll forget it... But yeah, we're really really improving our teaching a lot. She doesn't spend twenty minutes on the great apostasy anymore (she's very into proving the gospel to all the Catholics here...), but she shortened that, and I always teach about Joseph Smith, and it's pretty great. We have a few people who are considering baptism. So, yay!

We had a surprise training meeting on Tuesday (okay, not really that much of a surprise with a three day notice). But basically I got to see people from the CCM again (the other district). So that was neat. I also got to take a moto for the first time! I should take a picture of the motos here. They're like riding chariots! Especially when one passes us, or we pass another, it's almost like we're in a chariot race! :D

Our pension DID make us a thanksgiving dinner. Kinda. Not enough food to make ourselves super fat, but a normal amount of food. So we got turkey, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes with marshmallows. And inca cola- a soda down here in Peru. It tastes like bubble gum and cream soda... but tastes better than that description. Yay thanksgiving! I decided we were going to uh, go around the table, and tell what we were thankful for. I made my comp go first and she said like two things, and then I just kinda just went off on a long list when it was my turn... Awkward.

So um, seriously, Everett isn't allowed to grow up anymore. No more!

And I love you all.

Hermana Brogan