More singing in the Plaza

Well, I should write something at least. ( We had just spoken to her over Christmas and she is doing good) 

There's this family we taught who found a bunch of huge LIES about Joseph Smith online and so we got into that lesson and it was super contentious. But the lovely RM Sheyla fixed it all for us, and then we testified and talked about finding the truth through prayer, and the Spirit filled the room! Also, the little girls in that family are so cute. They're like angels, and they say I'm a doll, and always play with my hair. I love it. Even though my hair always ends up super frizzy after the lesson. Haha.

Enrique Marquina accepted preparing for a temple recommend, so that should get him to reactivate! Yay! He doesn't even fight against any of the commandments because he understands them. He just has to start living them again. It's fun to teach him. I couldn't think of the word bromista the other day, so I made up bromeador. They laughed at that. But hey, if they understood me that's all that matters. So then they decided I'm a chistadora. Which is also a made up word. So much teasing, it isn't fair!

Italo didn't come to church.  Oh yeah, we found him this week, and he's super cool. He's agnostic which is so refreshing being in Perú. It feels like I'm talking to someone from the states. He speaks English perfectly (He went to some super pituco school where they do everything except PE and religion in English). So it"s fun to teach him. He's a reference from putting his info on the internet! Never thought I'd have one of those! And he has a Mormon friend. SO cool. SO neat. He's so going to progress, if he actually comes to church like he said he would! But he said an amazing prayer (And actually talks to God, he doesn't just SAY a prayer. He speaks with his Heavenly Father). He felt the Spirit super strong and said he felt as if he wanted to cry. He said it felt the same as one time when he was talking to his LDS friend about the church. Yeeeeessss! :)

Christmas was cool. Christmas eve was cooler. We had a party as a zone. For like two hours. It was neat. I ate too much paneton, and I still want more. Luckily everyone still has some and invites us to some every time we teach. Woo!

We found a guy named Luis this week too. Embarrassing story for me of how we found him, so I'll just say that we found him, and I think he's going to progress too if I can convince my comp to go visit him more. 

Feliz navidad y feliz año nuevo!

Hermana Brogan

( a video of Haley singing her trio in the plaza, she is the Soprano)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA7S-2PCBh0&feature=youtu.be

Singing in the Plaza

This week. We sang in the plaza and it was AWESOME! Okay, the second night on the blog, I wore a shirt with stripes and I'm in the front. I can't even find myself from the first night. I'm somewhere on the right, I think....It was super awesome the second night during one of the groups, fireworks started going off. I felt like we're rock stars. It was way fun to sing in public! Thanks to a long series of events, I got to sing a tiiiiny bit in a trio both nights, when a week ago I wasn't even going to be singing. That was awesome. I love how little things work out sometimes! 

We found a cool family this week because a nine year old girl asked us why we write a ton of information down when we were in the street at a less active's house. That was neat! So then later we were trying to find her house from what little she told us. Something about a metal door next to a house of other random people we contacted (helping them put things in their car). So we were just confused, but they saw us from inside and the girls ran to us! Awesome! their mom is awesome, was very interested int he Book of Mormon, and just wants to know the truth. Good condition to be in for missionaries.

News from Otuzco, Otilio is getting baptized December 26th. Someone I found is getting baptized! What a blessing! I'm super happy. How cool for Hermana Morales 'daughter' too, to start your mission with a baptism. That's so cool!

Oh, Dallin, we contacted some random guy from Japan. I thought about you. He stayed in the plaza for the Christmas choir. Which was neat. But I think he said he's from Kyoto. 

I had an intercambio with Hermana Pineda. We spent the whole day (aside from finding 5 new investigators and teaching a ton of awesome lessons), singing to people, and singing in the street trying to copy all the soloists voices for the choir. I love Hermana Pineda. She's going through very similar experiences I went through at the same time as me, and so we were able to just talk a ton, and it was just good. It was a good day. She's such a  wonderful person. I like when I have awesome sister leaders. :) 

And we were working in the rich part of our area last night visiting with a menos activo and a recent convert, and they fed us paneton, twice, cake, and hot chocolate which was better than it normally is in Peru (no it was delicious! So yummy!), all in one night. So good. It made us late to reporting though. Which was good because there was actually a huge party on our street so we wouldn't have been able to hear a thing...

Yeah, Christmas time in Peru. Gotta love it.

Peace.

And good will to men.

Hermana Brogan

practicing for the concert in the plaza.

Caught in Spanglish mode

So this week. Hmmm, what's happened. My companion still rocks. She's working really hard on learning English and learning to sing. I'm learning a lot how to teach English and how to teach singing. I think I'm not too bad at it. So it's fun. But it's really messing up my Spanish and my English because now I just mix it up all the time, and I say random things in English to my comp thinking I'm speaking Spanish. It's a pain. 

Okay, funny story, so we had about three priesthood holders come with us to some lessons yesterday. (I don't really understand my companion's organization, but I'm still learning the area, so it's kinda up to her for now). Then she looked at me and asked if we can do divisions. Completely serious. I said no, waiting for her to realize the rules. She didn't get it. I had to tell her we can't go on splits with men, only with sisters in the ward. Hahaha. My companion. I love her so much. 

Oh, my companion says thank you SO SO SO much for the stocking. Even her family hasn't sent her anything, so she really appreciates it. 

I got talked into singing for the zone training this week. So that was... interesting. It was the night before too. So luckily, we were in the chapel for a meeting with the bishop, and Hermana Furness happened to be there, and she rocks at piano, so she and I arranged something super fast. And I told myself, it's going to be okay. It's only 16 missionaries. (For some reason, singing for my peers is harder than for strangers, or the branch in Otuzco). Well, then the next day, the elders from the office decide to waltz into our meeting just about 20 minutes before I sing, so then there were more like 20 people. Why is my chapel the building with the offices? it's weird to see them left and right. 

Juana and Esther already sent people in my ward to tell me hi (They came down for training since Hermana Esther is seminary teacher, and met people in my ward.) That made me happy. I miss them. 

We met a new investigator at church- Santos- the grandma of a primary kid who we're helping now with her faith in God book. So we were helping the girl with learning how to do an FHE and learning about the sacrament, and then Hermana Santos had a ton of questions for us about Joseph Smith and prophets and apostles and basically we just really need to teach her the first lesson already. 

We ran into a random recent convert of about a year who doesn't live in our ward, but we ended up teaching him (He was in the house of some menos activos we went to visit). He's struggling with deciding to go on a mission, so I shared with him a bunch of experiences and I don't know what else, and he was saying, wow, at many wise things the Spirit had me say. Then later he asked, "and how old are you?" I say 20. He was pretty surprised. Pretty fun.

We went to the temple as a zone this week. It was amazing. I love the peace and joy I feel inside the temple. The more time I've been on the mission, the more I feel like I need the temple. It really helped me reground my testimony in some basic things I knew pretty well before the mission, but got a bit weaker in Otuzco. So it was just what I needed. 

Then Saturday we helped out with a baptism of the ward.  Angelì, who's only 8. Her mom is a rescue from missionaries before us. Well, the bishop basically just put us in charge of everything and wouldn't even answer his phone all week. So then everything just went wrong because we needed keys to the font. So one of the RMs in the ward (who served in Chiclayo), came to help us out. We had to wait for the font (which we found full of water and dead and living insects) to drain, so he could climb over the railing to unlock the doors that go to the stairs, and then we had to clean it and fill it up again. Nobody came but the family, and because of the font, we started two hours late, and then the primary was having an activity, but stopped it to come to the baptism, so then there were a TON of people there (including Santos!), and it turned out pretty good.

Then last night we had a stake Christmas devotional. The missionaries sang. YW sang, primary, Hermana Pineda and Hermana Smith, and who else? But it was super good. President Marler came and spoke, and it was just a really cool night. We had some people we're working with come. That was nice too.

We have a Christmas tree from the elders who were in our house last year? But they left the tree, so we set it up in our room when Diana was decorating the rest of the house one night. 

I think that's about all for our adventures. We're performing this week in the plaza de armas. It should be fun. They're even bringing down the missionaries from Cajamarca! Everyone is going to be there!

I love you all, have a great week!

Hermana Brogan

Ahhh...Primavera!!!!

So as for the mission and my week here in Primavera. It's super temperate here. Not hot nor cold. Sweet! I forgot that was a climate. :) I'm a fan. I basically got sent to the most, pero mas, pero mas pituco area in the mission. Maybe not the most, but I sure feel like it is. Let me start from cambios.

Hermana Brogan, your going to Primavera and your new companion will be Hermana Maydana. Okay... I look at Hermana Morales. Do you know her? What is she like? Oh, she's super sweet. I think, sweet!

We go to cambios, Hermana Morales and I wear our new dresses that Hermana Esther made us to cambios. I meet Hermana Maydana. She's writing a note to an old companion that she's nervous for cambios. I think, sweet, she's like me then. We get to talking, and she already hugs me, holds onto my arm, and tells me I'm funny. Success! And we go in taxi (not mototaxi, a real taxi), to our house. And when I say our house, I mean our house. Two stories high, made out of super nice material, house. It's super clean. We go inside the first door (still outside, they have walls around their houses), then she takes me to the side of the house and we have a sliding glass door that opens to our room. It's little and cute, but super clean. Then she shows me the rest of the house. A kitchen that looks american- only missing a toaster, and the living room, and upstairs, and the roof. We have our own cupboard of food, and we pension in our same house. They cook breakfast and lunch for us, and we make dinner. We can eat whatever is in the kitchen. The area is flat, all the houses are nice, and everyone I talk to can understand me, and a lot of people talk to me in English. I think I'm in America. I knew if I went to the city I'd think I'm in the states. 

We get to work. They have people progressing and people who actually go to church. This week two investigators and eight (EIGHT!) less actives. Two for the first time after only one visit with them this week. And one of those two stayed all three hours like it's so normal. What in  the world? The ward, I'm in a ward, is about 200 people big, and the bishop, and many leaders are return missionaries. And a lot of the JAS (YSA) is RMs as well. 

What else? My companion is SO spiritual, and SO stoked to learn English. She's from Bolivia, and has a lot of similar opinions as me. And a nice refresher is her more optimistic view of the gospel and that she bases her work and actions on the Spirit and on the atonement. When I talk to her about the gospel, it edifies us both. 

I still don't know much about her or her story, but we have talked at least about our missions, and are figuring out how to teach together, but it's been super cool. Also two families we're working with are preparing to get sealed. Hopefully we can go to their sealings. 

We did service moving dirt this week in a house in construction.

We also watched the Christmas devotional. It was super great, and it's made me more excited to act more like a kid and to focus on serving others.

And also, in our house lives a family- with two little boys. One is 8 I think, and the other is 4. The four year old is always asking us for candy. Luckily I've had candy on me three times. I also spun him in the office chair (They have an office in their home!). We're friends. :)

Yeah, so basically pure blessings.

I'm okay with that. 

Love you all!

Hermana Brogan

I asked Haley about moving from the mountains to the city and what missionaries she serves with. She sends me multiple emails each week. I am trying to piece together this week from 5 emails. :p 

 I miss the mountains, but I love the city. I feel at home in my area. It's suburbany. Not like Jose Balta (my first area), which felt like busy city. It's calm with little parks on both sides of my house. But I saw a little art piece on this lady's wall of someone dressed like how they are in the chacra. It really made me realize how cultured Otuzco was. It's kinda like going back in time a bit. How they dress and live is different. I loved it. But it was HARD to serve in the mountains. I feel like there will be a lot that happens here. :)

Our district is 8 people, 3 Latinas, and the rest gringos. In our zone, it's basically all sisters except for the companionship of leaders. Two districts- so two district leaders and their companions, and two zone leaders. 6 elders, 10 sisters. I don't really know what there is to do for pday. It's kinda like being in Morgan Hill, it's pretty, but what do you do? Today we're going to watch a movie, eat ice cream and lunch, and go to Tottus- the Peruvian Target. 

She has next Christmas planned already...

 Eat yummy american food for me! Next year we're combining our Christmas with a chocolatada as well. I have no clue how we're going to do paneton, but I'll find a way. 

TRANSFERRED!

So my week. We had interviews with President Marler. It was a pretty interesting day. He helped my companion and I be good friends again, but he also promised me transfers. So I'm being transferred to Primavera (the mission office is in my chapel). My companion is Hermana Maydana, from Bolivia. I've heard all good things about her. Talking to Hermana Hernandez (a sister from my very first area in the mission), was in my area just a little bit ago, and told me it's kinda pituco (compared to Otuzco, I'm sure I'll feel like I've gone back tot he states), and that everyone there are super wonderful. So I'm excited!

This week, Otilio started reading his Book of Mormon every day. He's starting to understand prayer a bit better. He has the steps down, now he just has to start changing what he says each time. He was going to come to church, but that never happened. We had a lesson where his cousin started talking to him while we were teaching. Ouch. But they just don't really understand the concept of receiving lessons here. 

For Thanksgiving, we just had a normal day. I didn't even tell my pensionista. But then Amelia decided to give us paneton and hot chocolate, so we had a dinner with the elders, their convert, Richard, Presidente Olidon, and Amelia and her daughter. So that was pretty cool. :)

We had activities with the branch all week this week. We played soccer one night. Now, let's slow this one down. I played soccer. I did. And I didn't run away from the ball. And I scored two goals. Wait a minute... this isn't me. How weird. It was super fun actually!

We had a talent show.I sang. We also did a skit with Christ and his disciples with the relief society. I was Christ. My companion was Judas. It was hilarious. Maybe I'll explain the skit one day.

My companion and I ran it, so we told a ton of jokes in between numbers. It was great.:)

Then Saturday we went on paseo, and went to the chacra of Hermana Esther. It was super pretty and way fun. Especially throwing dogs in their pond, and singing and playing ukulele, and just going there. 

On Sunday Elder (now President) Fackrell and his wife came and spoke for our branch. (He was one of the senior missionaries, but got called to be 2nd counselor to President Marler). He gave a super good, focused talk to help the branch be stronger. He wants them to be more focused on the Spirit and on the temple, and to especially keep the Sabbath day. 

We also had a bit of a miracle that Consuelo came to church again, and stayed all three hours. (MA). This is her third time coming to church, but first time in two transfers. So my companion next transfer is going to be training. Hopefully they should get to have two rescues (Consuelo and Norma), and hopefully can get Otilio to baptism. :) I'm excited for her. 

It rained suepr hard yesterday, so my comp had rain boots. I didn't (the ones in my room are too small for me). The streets can be like rivers, so she literally carried me across on her back. Which is hilarious because we both had backpacks. Haha. 

President Roger was kinda in denial that I'm leaving when I told him. He said so surely that he was going to talk to President Marler so that I don't go. Sorry, I'm going. 

But I love Otuzco, and I will definitely miss it a ton. 

Until next week,

Hermana Brogan

Happy Belated Birthday, Rhett.

So world, I suppose I should announce the birthday of my wonderful

brother Rhett, Happy belated birthday!

So this week was another interesting one. The elders had another

baptism. They told me the same morning I was going to give the first

talk. Good thing I've been a missionary for a year and can come up

with something. But I'm not that exciting of a public speaker in

Spanish todavía.

My pensionista interpreted a dream I had with a  bunch of

cowboys-chacra workers, and a  bunch of refugees. She only told me it

means I'll meet someone very interesting. I was cracking up as she

listened to my crazy dream. I have a lot of weird dreams actually.

It's always fun to see what my subconscious comes up with.

We visited Lucía, and there was a turkey.  It didn't chase me too

much. It just puffed up it's feathers every time I looked at it.

Another day  in the street a Turkey started chasing us. We used our

umbrellas as a shield as we ran away. Why are turkeys scarier than

dogs?

And I had a pretty powerful lesson with a widower where I told him

very boldly that he can be together with his family for forever, but only 

through covenants, and that he has to make them in the true

church, which is ours. And I don't know what else. I  felt the Spirit

pretty strong in that lesson. It was cool. I normally have a different

teaching style, so I know the Spirit was talking through me. :)

That's really about it though. We have interviews tomorrow, so I'll be

going down to Trujillo. Woo.

Have a great week!

Keep writing!

Hermana Brogan

The work continues forward.

Okay, my companion and I are back to being best friends. She's calmed

down about being exact with exact exactness. (There's obedience with

exactitud, then there's forgetting about other parts of the gospel,

like that we should be happy, and just try our best and trust the rest

to the Lord, and we need to love others and be patient with them). So

we found a balance, and now we're having a ton of fun here.

President Marler also wrote me this week and told me that really a

large part of the work with our little branch isn't so much to get it

to grow, as much as strengthening it, and helping the members progress

towards the temple. And lots of encouragement. All is good now.

We had a zone meeting and intercambios this week. (And we always stay,

both in Otuzco since our leaders come from Trujillo). The elders also

had intercambios the same day. 8 missioanries in Otuzco. So cool!

We found some cool people this week. We had an amazingly spiritual

lesson with this lady, Betti, and I really helped her feel comfortable

praying, and we got her to pray to end the lesson. It was a very

spiritual experience. I basically walked her through it before she

actually prayed, and then she just had to add the start and the end.

It ended up being a very effective way to teach her prayer.

My companion with Hermana Hidalgo had the miracle lesson (I swear

there's always one in intercambios), where they talked this guy into

going back into his house when he said he was busy, and he believed

everything about the restoration. Future priesthood holder!

Later on in the week, we had an activity where we learned to make

picarones (I always come out of those not having learned... I need

recipes. I'm dependent on them. Here, they aren't.) But the

electricity went out, and we wanted to do a movie night with the JAS

(mostly investigators from the elders, and Greli, our menos activa)

(JAS=Young adults). So I asked my comp if we should pray. She said

yes, but then abandoned me in the dark and went to the kitchen. I

thought she went to the bathroom, so I just stayed in the chapel.

Haha. So I said a quick prayer to have electricity, because it's

usually out for a couple ours, but we needed it within half an hour.

It turned right back on after about three minutes. Prayer works!

We also caught Elkin and Natali dancing in the street together from a

block away. It was cute.

We climbed up the mountain, Cholocday (the tall on with a white cross.

I finally learned its name), at five in the morning with the zone to

watch the sunrise. SO early. It's fun to climb mountains early! It

was super pretty. I actually left my camera so I could enjoy the

sunrise more than be obsessed with taking pictures. :) Good choice on

my part.

Elder Lagrava is always bothering me now saying that he can see in my

eyes that I want more food. In whatever situation. When we're with

Esther, when we're eating pancakes as a zone, picarones, and who knows

what else. He always says that. There's nothing in my eyes. I don't

want more. Thanks. (One time I did want more pizza, but we were going

to go eat lunch with Hermana Chepa.

Our branch mission leader is always bothering my companion about going

inactive. (Just joking around), so last night we ask him why only her,

and not me. He said that those from the USA never go inactive. Ha. He

then told me I'd live in Utah the rest of my life. Never. Only for

school! So much apostasy from him. He jokes about going inactive and

I still don't know if it's a joke or not.

I cried the other day because three dogs were barking pretty viciously

at us. They did no damage, but it was kinda scary. I said a prayer in

my head, and suddenly all their owners were in the passageway for

whatever reason. Not going back there again.

On the intercambio, we're focusing a lot on finding new people to

teach, so Hermana Pineda asks if we should set a goal of one. I said,

no, 3. And we ended up with six. Pretty neat! :)

Okay, that's all folks.

Love you all,

Hermana Brogan

Prayers, please!

Okay, short and sweet on your side, then mine too. It really just

because we kinda delayed writing today until we have very little time.

So this week in short.

I have a hard time communicating and defending my opinions in Spanish.

Sometimes makes the companionship complicated. But we're still going.

Nobody is progressing. We're also going to refocus on menos activos

because if we don't get church attendance up by the end of December,

they're going to make the branch into a family group, and they'll lose

rights to a chapel. Also, we're dropping basically all our

investigators minus like three or four. And starting over. Joy. Gotta

love Otuzco. It's got a very set culture, and it's a bit hard. Prayers

please! :)

Now for the good (mostly random funny stories, and a bit about Kati).

With permission from President Marler, we get to call Kati. I'm

basically her best friend since I'm the only missionary who went to

every single one of her citas. But I called her and she was overjoyed

to hear from me last night. She told me she's found the elders, asked

me how to talk to them (like she talks to us), and told me she's found

the chapel now and is planning on going. Woo!

On Monday we were teasing little Alisson about marriage. She told us

she wasn't getting married for a long time (She's 6). So my companion

says, well then, at 18. Alisson says, Yes. I'll get married then. She

thinks that's so old. It's so cute.

We're going to have to drop Elkin. He just wants to be our friend, but

he doesn't keep any of his committments.

Elder Lagrava bought a recorder. He plays it all the time. We went to

Josefina's chacra last week, and Elder Lagrava was playing it on a

mountain. No big deal. It's bright green, and cracks me up. So he,

Elder Jensen, and I did the musical number in sacrament meeting. With

the flute. Lucky I didn't crack up.

Joke: Why was the computer cold? The windows were opened.

My companion broke our mirror this week on accident. This is the

second time in my mission we've broken a mirror. Why?

On Friday we contacted this lady and so she told us to come into her

corral to visit her. She has one donkey, one baby pig, and one turkey.

The turkey was soooo flippin mad we were there. Then it chased me

around her little yard. So I jumepd into where the donkey was. Luckily

the donkey didn't care. And the lady put the turkey's rope around a

brick so it couldn't get to me. It was terrifying and hilarious.

Turkeys are weird. And I saw a firefly for the first time in my life last night. It was

so cool! It made me super happy!

Aaaand, that's about it. I love you all! Have a great week!

Also, I love handwritten letters even though I never respond. Sister

Erskine is the best, and I always get letters from her! They make me

super happy! So thanks to her. And mom, I got the December package.

Now I'm hoping I don't have transfers because I don't want to carry it

to a whole new area. It's huge!! But I'm suuper excited for Christmas

season! Also, could someone be kind enough to tell me what day is

Thanksgiving?

Hermana Brogan

Lessons, Halloween and Peruvian Lunches

This week. Oh, this week was an interesting one. 

We're working a lot with Elkin. He's 26, practically Mormon, and his wife is MA. 

We FINALLY got to talk with his wife, Natali, last night (with Elkin

there too). They have some problems in their marriage... minus the

marriage since they never got married. But they're a family- two kids.

Well, Elkin works in a store that makes huge styrofoams characters for

parties. So his store is always crazy and fun. And he has a really

active imagination. It's hilarious. So we go to teach them last night,

and while we're waiting for Natali, Elkin, and one of his workers

ended up doing taditional peruvian dances and playing traditional

instruments. There's no way I'm going to remember what they're called.

Pretty neat though! Then Natali came and we were discussing eternal

marriage and family and stuff. So then Elkin wants to get married, but

Natali doesn't trust him, and so he pulls out a receipt to demostrate

what their marriage will be like. Then he ends up cutting out two paper

hearts, giving one to me and one to my comp, makes us crumple them up,

and tells us that will happen one day to us. What the heck? So my

companion took the opportunity to explain repentance. Hahaha. They're

crazy. I love working with younger people. It's nice to get to laugh.

We went to teach one of Elkin's friends, Alexander. He seems pretty

cool. But he travels to Trujillo a lot, like Raquel (Juana's friend).

He said he'd read and pray. Yay!

We went to visit Jhoner (pensionista's husband) with a member. He went

and hid from us. Okay, not time for that yet. Last night, he was

drinking. Not in his house, but in his shop a door away. So we went to

greet him (comp's idea) so he'd feel bad about it. I've never seen

someone I know drunk before. That made me super sad.

We started visiting Norma again (MA). She finishes studying in the end

of November. Hopefully we get to go work with dirt with her. (She's

studying something that has to do with plants, animals, and dirt...)

The elders had a baptism. Yay! Raquel came. We didn't even get to

visit her or invite her, but Juana, the great future misisonary she

is, and Claudia brougth her along. So awesome!

On halloween, I was my companion. Well, I just wore her nametag. We

also carried around plastic pumpkins full of candy to share with kids,

members, investigators, etc. Well, something I learned is that a lot

of the evangelistas think it's a day to worship Satan. Awkward. Didn't

realize carrying around a plastic pumpkin and giving out free sweets

was satan worshipping.

We also got to teach Elisabeth, the sister of Hermana Esther. She's

the first in her family to accept the gospel, and was going to be

baptized.... 18 years ago. And now she still loves the missionaries, but

never accepts anyone. And we got to teach her. Little miracle right

there! She said she'd pray. I'm excited to see what happens.

And that's about the week in summary.

Oh, and the pension is tasty. I don't really like Peruvian lunches.

She makes pancakes and french toast sometimes. Yay! And Hermana Esther

does our laundry for us.

Okay, love you all, have a great week!

Hermana Brogan

Lesson with a flashlight

So this week in Otuzco Perú. 

Sometimes I forget how poor everyone here is. I feel like all of Peru is like this, but then we go to Trujillo. Yeah, it's just Otuzco.

Lessons this week were lessons. We had one cool lesson. We taught the restoration, and their house doesn't have electricity. So we taught with a flashlight. I also learned the word for flashlight. Linterna.  Yeah, so it was actually super cool. We focused a lot on the pictures in  the pamphlet and we turned the light off when we talked about the great apostasy. Pretty neat object lesson that was completely unplanned! I wanted to laugh at the same time I thought it was really cool. Don't worry, I kept calm.

At dinner one day,my best friend and little sister Alisson kept asking us math questions. (She's just learning numbers and how to spell). She asked us the oh so hard question of 42 and 42. 84. She was so impressed. She "whispered" to her mom, "Mami, I think they already know the numbers". It was SO funny. We all laughed, and then Alisson laughed just because we were all laughing. Why are little kids so cute?

Sometimes taking a moto feels like you're riding Indiana Jones in Disneyland. I won't go into too much detail there...

We've also started to do family scripture study with our pensionista's family. Since two of them are inactive. I love it. Definitely something to keep doing!

One night we forgot our phone at dinner, and it was basically curfew, so we literally RAN down the street to get it, and RAN up the hill to our room. I'm surprised I didn't have to stop. It was fun!

On Saturday we took the branch to the temple. I got sick riding back because I already had a headache. Bah. I thought carsickness had no control over me anymore. But I didn't get TOO sick. No crazy stories there. The temple was amazing. It's so nice to go do work for those who can't. Sometimes I feel like temple work is just more effective... No, but we got all three of the recent converts we're working with to go. Super neat! We also bought Lisbeth (Our pensionista's older daughter) two little pictures. One of the temple, one of the resurrection.Super cheap birthday present, but hey,we're missionaries. She liked it! (Or is really good at being polite. Let's go with option 1)

Yes, that is what happened this week!

Love you all.

Sorry the space-bar is weird. (No problem, Haley, I think Mom got them all)

Hermana Brogan

The detergent saved the dog!!!

This week. We did stuff. Nah, I'll give some details. For pday we cooked lunch. For four hours. Why isn't there more to do in Otuzco? Tuesday we visited Elkin (The brother of a member, Edgar). Well Elkin is 26 and has been visited basically since he was 13 and is super good friends with missionaries. (He'd also always say hi to us in the streets and we had no clue who he was...) Well now we know. He wants to be baptized, but doesn't want to get married first. Elder Price apparently was working with him before getting papers in order and everything, but it never happened. But maybe we can have a bit of a sway and help him get that worked out. Also Elkin told us that he has a bunch of doubts, but wouldn't be specific. He said he'll tell us as we go through the lessons. This should be a fun time teaching!

We also found and adventista, Francisca, who is just a poor confused lady who doesn't know what church is true, but says she's already been baptized, and says she likes when churches only teach form the Bible, but accepted to read a chapter of the Book of Mormon. Haha. I think she'll progress. Kinda fun teaching an adventista. Next lesson- Sabbath day, and why we worship on Sundays. 

We passed by Greli a couple days ago. Her mom was on bed-rest because she fractured something... because Greli pulled the ladder out from under her while she was still on it. On purpose. What drama in that lesson. I was literally in middle of a soap opera. Well, both Greli and her mom are in Trujillo. I think Greli went for mental care, and her mom for medical care. Things I see in life. 

That awkward moment in companionship inventory during weekly planning when your companion tells you that you're being really humble about learning to live in a new culture. (Like sweeping wooden floors, and other events that passed that week). After a year and I still stick out so much. Kinda embarrassing for me. But hey, what am I going to do? I do my best to be normal here...

We had an AMAZING multizone with an area 70 (which I almost wrote as 70 of area.) Basically was a motivational speaker to us but with the addition of the gospel so that I wouldn't think about laughing at it. It really was super good. He told us we need to be happy. he also told us that you can count the seeds in an apple, but not the apples in a seed. Well, that made me relax a lot more. I'm pretty happy with that. He also told us in the arithmetic of the Lord, 1=thousands. So neat. :) And we got to eat super tasty sandwiches after the multizone before coming back to Otuzco. But now I don't miss delicious food as much because my pension rocks. And my little sister Alisson loves to talk to us and be at the table with us. I'm supposedly teaching her ballet. She's so cute!

Then coming back from the multizone, we taught Jhonner (our pensionista's husband) and had a super powerful lesson with him about the Sabbath day. He told us that really what keeps him from coming back is his pride. And he knows it. (He's an ex branch president). So he told us that Efraín (our 23 year old ward mission leader) said something that offended him before Efraín even went on his mission. I swear everyone goes inactive because of members. It drives me insane. We're all imperfect. And it means just that. We're not going to act how we're supposed to because we literally are unable to every moment of always. But yeah, Jhonner has been changing a lot since we started eating there. He's stopped drinking at least. That's pretty big. And that before we even started teaching him. Just our presence is helping him out. Cool!

We passed by the branch president's house on Saturday. And we visited with his wife for a little bit (She made me... what's the word... take corn off of the cob so she could make popcorn. Super cool! My thumb was super raw after... hehe) But then their dog Wasabi, was foaming at the mouth. He had eaten something poisonous! So they poured detergent in his mouth so he'd throw up. It worked. They saved their dog's life with soap. But I came when Wasabi was a new pupppy! So it was weird that he was being so calm. So so calm. Then we saw the foam. Pretty crazy. 

And yesterday, in the park by our house, there was a public exorcism going on. Oh Otuzco. 

I love you all. Have a great week!

Hermana Brogan

Older Missionaries Are Just Calmer.

This week we had intercambios. I was having a bit of a hard day being a little sick (that's actually a good story, but not one I'm going to put on the blog), and frustrated with my district leader (all is good now. I thought elders weren't supposed to be the too serious ones), and thinking too much about what hasn't happened in my mission the first year. So luckily, we had a zone meeting that morning, and unluckily, I cry so easily, so my sister leader Hermana Pineda and I went outside to talk. And she helped me a ton and told me how amazing I am and stuff. So that was cool. Then after lunch, we did intercambios, and I went with Hermana Nuñez. She was in the CCM with me. I don't remember her (she's from Bolivia, so I couldn't communicate with her back then, and just chose not to). Well, she speaks english. Haha. I figured that out when she asked me in a lesson in english if I thought our investigator really was pregnant. Haha. She told me later that she lived for a year in New York. She went with her friend. Hermana Nuñez is 27 years old. So it was a really cool intercambio. She's a lot calmer than most of the missionaries, and we had super spiritual lessons the whole day. It was awesome!

Kati moved back to Lima. We had a lesson with her, and we got her a little closer to keeping the word of wisdom. She just doesn't think she can change. But she wants the gospel too. We committed her to go to church this sunday in Lima. I really hope she did so the missionaries there can start working with her. 

We started teaching Juana's friend (Juana is who's preparing for a mission), Raquel. Raquel is super amazing. She asked us why God doesn't appear to everyone. I talked about how there needs to be a need for a miracle in addition to the faith necessary because we promised to walk by faith in this world, and that there was a need with Joseph Smith (Woah, that's the first time I've said Joseph in a long time. It sounds so weird now.) She also asked why she doesn't always receive answers to prayers, and Juana stepped in on that one. It was awesome! And so Raquel is going to pray about the first vision for the first time in her life (she's listened to missionaries before, but has never prayed specifically about Joseph Smith). I'm excited to see where this goes. Raquel's two best friends are active members. And we teach her in Hermana Esther's house. So sweet! The Spirit was so strong. 

Aside from that... not much else has happened. I'm doing good. The work is... going. We're finding. A lot of finding.

Hermana Brogan

A Little Sister in Otuzco!!

We found a pensionista. She's awesome. Hermana Chepa (I don't know her real name, but her nickname is Chepa.) I'm super stoked to have a little family again! She has a six year old who is suuuuper excited for us to start pensioning there. This morning at breakfast (we started today), we told Chepa we'd wait for her to drop off Allison (her six year old) and come back. So Allison told us to wait for her too and that she gets back at one (lunchtime). So we told her we'd be there. We're actually going to be a bit late. Haha. SO cute! I get a little sister! At least as long as I'm in Otuzco. I'm stoked. Must take pictures with this family. :) 

Well, in the work, this week wasn't the most productive. Except for two things. One, Greli came to conference. So cool! So she'll hopefully be a rescue in a week or two. :) Two, we 'found' this lady named Carmen. Who works with Consuelo, and Hermana McCally and I gave her a Book of Mormon hace no sè cuanto. Hehe, just messing with you mom. We gave her a Book of Mormon about a month ago or so. (I apologize to my family members who do not speak Spanish because I will drive you crazy when I go home, I just know it.)  Anyways, we visited her officially in her house, met her 14 year old daughter (she's sweet, and a little odd...). It's just those two. We invited them to baptism, and the Spirit was super strong, and Carmen said yes. So we now have someone else to work with towards baptism. I'm excited about it. Unfortunately, she was unable to come to conference because of something going on in her daughter's school.

Then at the end of the week, we had... A multizone, and general conference. So basically we didn't get to teach a ton of people, but that's chill. It was everything I needed and more. I am SO excited to get back to working hard, and finding new investigators, and having more faith, and just everything. In the multizone Hermana Marler spoke to us about the scripture, in Matthew 11:28-30, come unto me ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest. She spoke about the power of the atonement and how we don't need to carry around our burdens. She said that she thinks Christ would be really sad if we did, because He already did it for us. It isn't necessary.

I also really loved in conference that there was a huge focus on not making the gospel so complicated, and that we don't need to feel pressured to be perfect now (I am SO guilty of that). But we just need to be good and get a little better at a time. President Marler the day before told us (was it Pres Hinckley?) someone said that God is perfectly fine with progressing just a little tiny bit every day. We don't need to overwhelm ourselves. I loved it. I've also felt really strongly my Heavenly Father's love for me these last few days.

We've dropped Kati, but she's been finding us in the street. She got fired from her job. So she came to conference for part of two sessions. She'll be going back to Lima at the end of the month. We're going to go back to visit her to see if there's any last things we can do. Prayers please! I honestly don't know much more what we can do. But she so needs the gospel.

Honestly, that's about all. Thanks for your support, keep writing me, I love you all!

More to report next week!

Hermana Brogan

Kinda a Bummer Week.

So Kati's baptism didn't happen. She doesn't want to give up drinking, and I think she just feels like the standards are too high for her. Also, I think her boyfriend is a bad influence on her. Bah.

 But this week honestly wasn't very fun. I hit my year mark, and had the most depressing lessons that day- hearing everyone's stories of abuse and such. And nobody is really progressing too much this week. Except Greli, who is a menos activa we found.  We got her to come to church with us Sunday. Everyone received her really well. And she really appreciates our visits. So the goal is to get someone in the branch to be her friend so Greli will keep coming to church without us. She needs a little extra motivation to get out of the house. She basically sits around doing nothing all day. Poor girl. 

Also, I've learned from my companion by observing, that humility really is a strength. She's one of the most humble people I've met, and she's so talented and capable. I have so much to learn from her, I swear!

Also, we always eat at one restaurant. (The owner is the sister of the RS president), and she has a terrible 2 year old, Jimena, who hates me most of the time. (Sometimes we're friends). But it's hilarious. She'll always come sit with us though. Haha. 

Um, not much else. Kinda a bummer week, so I don't want to make you all sad. 

Have a great week!

Hermana Brogan

ONE YEAR MARK, TODAY!!!!!

Okay, this week has been EVERYWHERE. First off, we hiked that mountain

again last week for pday. It killed me. I had headaches in the nights

the next few days, and water wasn't doing it. So I bought Gatorade and

that fixed my problem. Yay gatorade! But it was super nice to sit on

top of the mountain. I love being in high places and seeing

everything. Even though all the buildings are adobe, so the town is

just brown.

We're teaching Amelia a lot more now. My companion has a blast

teaching her. We always come out of the lesson laughing. Amelia is so

flippin stubborn! She has to be right, and she has to contradict us!

But we'll get there. If she converts it will be a true miracle.

News from Jaen, Alexandra is getting baptized this Friday, and is VERY

excited about it! I am SO happy to hear that! Hopefully she'll send me

pictures!

 So one of the guys who walks around the street, the one who always

asks if I speak english, came into a farmacia we were in pday, and he

asked if I spoke english (for the millionth time). So I lied and said

no. Very Christlike... Then he asked if I was from the United States.

I said no again. (I've started to tell random people I'm from

Argentina to see if they'll believe me. Okay, like two people. But

since then he's dropped the english thing! Well, while we were in the

pharmacy, the lady working there, casually pulls out a bilingual bible

and hands it to him. He takes it and walks out. Haha. Then the other

night, he came up to us again and informed us there was an earthquake

in Chile two hours before, and started talking about the end of the

world and stuff. It's always fun to see this random guy.

So my companion has been sick since she got here. With a cough. Well,

it got to her lungs and in her throat more, and we had to go down to

Trujillo Thursday morning to take her to the clinic. Elder Heward (in

the office) also texted us saying we had to come down Friday for me to

sign papers (so I can keep being a missionary in Perù and stuff...).

So we convinced him to let me do it Thursday, no problem. So we headed

off after breakfast, and arrive in Trujillo. We first go to the

clinic. My comp had to get shots (one that day, and we carried two

with us for the next two days in Otuzco that we went to a pharmacy to

put in. She wanted me to do it originally. Yeah? no!) And some sort of

cough syrup, and pills. Since the medication, she's been trembling a

lot. And feeling randomly nervous. SO sketchy. But it's the approved

clinic, and her cough is getting better. So after I called Elder

Heward and he told me to come to the mission office so my comp could

tell them the results of her visit. So we go into the office, and

nobody is there! We keep walking, and we walk into a meeting with all

the office missionaries and President Marler and wife. So awkward. So

they invite us in, and we're talking to President Marler in front of

all of them. SO awkward. So then afterwards, he asks us if we've eaten

yet (it's 11 am. In the mission we eat at 1). So we say no, and he

tells the elders to give us money for lunch in the mall. So they go

and get us 50 soles. That's like a ninth of our food money for the

whole month! Just for lunch! When they handed us the money, my eyes

got super wide. President started talking to me in English (my poor

comp), about how my comp is, how she's doing, if we're using the

heater they gave us (the elders don't get a heater). I told him that

Amelia is a little obsessive about the electricity, and he told us to

use it anyways and the mission will pay more if need be, and then

asked if the elders were treating us okay. SO funny. I don't really

get why the sisters are so spoiled in this mission, but I don't mind

it. :P

So we go get some papers signed and notarized, and then we go to this

restaurant they told us to go to in the mall. By ourselves. On

Thursday. SO much trust. In the Chiclayo mission we couldn't ever set

foot in the mall. But we ate such good food! I felt like I was in the

states. It was so delicious. We joked that it was our birthday or pday

or something. We left a word of wisdom pamphlet on the table. Haha,

missioanry jokes. And we finished up buying McDonald's ice cream. Then

we came back and worked in the evening.

We visited Kati, who was sick with sores in and on her mouth, and her

stomach was upset too, and she was just exhausted. So we taught her

the law of chastity with Efraìn (our 23 year old ward missin leader)

haha. So much awkward. It was fun. But she told us her desires to be

baptized were on the floor. Then I asked her if she'd like a blessing

of health. That night we went with the elders for her blessing.

Afterwards we testified, and as we left, I hugged her and asked how

she felt. She said she felt really warm inside. I explained to her

that's the love of her Heavenly Father for her. It was super amazing.

The Spirit was so strong there. The next day we visited her, and she

still had some sores, but she was energetic, and feeling better, and

everything. Then last night her sores have been healing, and she looks

basically like normal now! :D I love miracles.

Staying on the topic of Kati, last night we visited with her on a

bridge over chicken river. And we taught about work for the dead in

the temple, eternal marriage, tithing, and the sabbath day. (I don't

know why, but we felt like she needed all the things.) So we talked

and talked, and returned to the topic of baptism. She doesn't want to

be baptized for how her family and boyfriend will react. So I asked

her if she was the only person in the world, would she be baptized.

She gave a definite yes. Then we worked a bit more, and got her to

agree to be baptized this Saturday. She's happy about it. And her mind

is just everywhere. But she knows it's right. I am SO excited for her!

She's made some huge lifestyle changes, and she's so happy with the

gospel. She'll go with us to do baptisms for the dead ont he 10th of

October with the branch too. :)

So that's two miracles this week. Also, we were int he middle of

fasting last night for Kati and Amelia. (Kati to accept a date, Amelia

to soften her heart). Now I've had two solid experiences with fasting.

I love the power of a fast.

Also we found a menos activo couple (because they work far away), and

we will be working with them on getting to the temple. Pericles and

Anna. Pericles' eyes were so lit up when we were talking about getting

sealed in the temple. They just need to prioritize church a bit more

so that it can go from a goal to a reality. But we talked with them

about setting a specific date as a goal for them to get sealed. :) It

will be fun to work with them. He's been a member for 17 years and his

wife for 1. They're a cute couple.

Aside from that, my comp and I just keep joking around a ton, and

enjoying the life.

Also, earlier in the week, I was wondering and praying about why I'm

being the best missionary I can be, with the most faith I can muster,

and striving to be obedient, and why I'm not seeing much success. So

then all that I just wrote about happened. So there's an answer to my

prayers. Patience is something I gotta work on I guess. Haha. Oh, but

also, we got a reference from a recent convert. The refernce is

Verena. She wants to be baptized. She has parkinson's, and I think I

actually contacted her my first week in Otuzco... But she's now come

to church twice. (Once since we started teaching her). So she'll get

baptized on the 17th of October. (Only that far out so we have time to

teach her all the lessons).

Okay, I really do think that's it now... Love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Brogan

With her last companion Mna. McCally

Photo bombing the Elders or is the Elder photo bombing Haley? hmmm.