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.

A Native Speaker Companion..Woo Hoo!!!!

Okay, this week:

New companion, Hermana Morales, from Cuzco Peru! (And has never been to Macchu Picchu, haha!) She has 7 and a half months, but is basically senior comp, she's so amazing. She teaches great, contacts great, remembers everything, respects the branch president in his calling a ton and knows how to work with the members super well. Basically perfect in every way. On top of that, she's suuuuuper humble. And sweet. And hilarious. We have had so many little adventures this week! Spider killing, throwing tiiiiiiny little pebbles at a menos activa's window who won't come out of her house (so romantic) and getting yelled at by her neighbor, zombie jokes, randomly racing to light posts and corners of streets, knocking doors with a pecan I can't break open that Elder Jensen gave me. It's sooo much fun.

She was telling me a story the other night while waiting at a door. So she and her friend were at the university, and they were walking backwards together, and fell into a  huge hole higher than their heads. They were very famous after that. Well, as she was telling me this story, I thought she knew there was a hole behind her, and that brought up the story. Well, she didn't. And almost fell in. Bah. (That's slang my comp picked up in her only other area, Ascope). Also they end everything with Joven. Ex: They're not their youth! (No hay joven!) I don't know, we just joke around all the time. 

Then we were knocking a dark house the other night, and were commenting, "watch, a dog is going to come out from under the door" (there was a gap of about a foot). As we were saying this, two kittens came out. So my companion chased them around the house to catch them, and held them up. So I acted like Mufasa to pretend to put marks on their foreheads. Ahahaha. As she was trying to catch the second one, she fell and scraped her knee a tiny bit. 

Then the other night we were teaching a 14 year old MA, Keyco. Well, my companion has this cough, and we told Keyco. So Keyco goes and gets this weird bee juice (I really don't know what it is), but it made her throat feel like fire. SO we were saying she'd become a dragon and climb up onto the ceiling. I totally called the ceiling the heavens the other day accidentally. I've been saying the weirdest words with her! I shall create my own language! Muahaha!

Then Saturday, the elders were coming back from Huamachuco (Mom, only us and the elders in Otuzco, 4 in total) We're four. Haha. Well, they had  a baptism, so we ended up planning everything for them. We got to play telephone with a  real phone. No, but really, we were calling SO much! But we had to go set up the font (it's like one of those pools that you put above ground). So we figured that out, and used little metal ladders for the steps to get in. The elders got carsick coming back from Huamachuco, so had to go rest. I got talked into doing the musical numbers (since this transfer started, my voice has gotten really popular with the missionaries. Everyone says I sing well. It all started with Elder Jensen. Then the new hermana Leaders wanted me to sing for them too when they came up for the zone training. So now I sing a ton. Also, we had a goodbye party and a welcome party for the missionaries leaving and going two nights in a row! So much cake. SO much food. How am I not fat after a year in Peru? 

Uhhh, okay the more powerful,

Taught a  lady Carmen yesterday. She was sad, so we hugged her, and promised to pray for her, and promised her that there is refuge in the gospel.

We taught Kati. Her animos are down. (sorry, spanglish, um she's less excited). So we talked to her about the seriousness of the baptismal covenant, and enduring to the end, and how it will affect her future. Any problems with her family now will pass, but she also has to think of her future family. We found out she has a boyfriend who wants to run away with her. (She's won't) To be sure, we're going to teach the law of chastity next time. Once we teach her something, she always understands, and applies it. So that's good. We're going to move her baptism to the 26th. Elder Jensen last night, when I was reporting, promised she'd get to baptism, but that we just need to have confidence that the spirit will be there when we teach and that the words we speak will reach her heart, and it will all work out. Sweet. I love promises.

 

We taught Manuel y Juliana anoche (MA), and my comp did so good with them. It was a completely different lesson than we've had with them before. She really encouraged them, and I think they'll start progressing soon.  They're really looking forward to our visits now. Manuel asked if he could do anything for us. 

We started teaching a reference, Mili, this week. Young 30s, intelligent, really cool. Single. Does what she wants. (That joke has no meaning in enlgish. There's a song called soy solteraa that's popular here. We'll teach her lesson one this week. I'm really excited to see where this goes. It will be good for sure. She's super open minded. :)

Those were the biggest lessons we had this week. 

I'm just happy here. Sometimes, I feel inadequate next to my companion, but she's so humble, and the Spirit always encourages me that it just ends up being a pássing thought. This cambio will be amazing. President Marler thanked me for my unfailing faith today (Do I even have that?), and that he's anxious to see what Hermana Morales and I will do with the area. So much trust from him! Man, missionary work is way over my head. But I love it. It's sooo fun

Love you all. Have a great week!

Hermana Brogan

It Is Transfer Week and Haley Is..........

World! So this week. We've found two new investigators names Carmen who are single moms. Their kids are teens. Teens are fast to understand the doctrine and can help us explain it to their parents. I love it. 

Big news. Cambios are tomorrow. I stay, but I'm getting a new companion. Her name is Hermana Morales. Sounds Latina. :D Por fin! And I hear she's hilarious. So it should be a fun companionship. I'm really excited about it!

Um, last pday we found a guy with a monkey on the road. I took a picture of it. I also took a picture on a llama, but I need a better one. Next pday that they're in the plaza. 

Um, not many people came to church. Both Kati and Consuelo were out of town. But Isabel came. (We're trying to reactivate her so she and her husband can get sealed. She has a baby though and uses that as a reason to not come to church...) But President Marler told me about them, so I figure it's kinda an important focus. We just haven't been able to get inside their house to teach them yet. Edgar is always travelling for work, and Isabel is always 'busy.' Maybe some more prayer will help us get in those doors.

Also, I'm stoked to have a Latina comp so when we're teaching old people, or people who just really don't get my accent, I have someone to help me out. Haha. 

We were eating with the nonmember daughter of the branch president at lucnh last pday (or maybe tuesday...?). I don't know how, but she convinced us to let her feed us. So anyways, this random lady from Trujillo came by and asked the elders to bless her cousin or aunt or someone. The lady who lives in Otuzco's name it Maria. She's super old and hard of hearing. But totally willing to listen. She can't walk- so I don't know how we're going to get her to church. She also can't read. So we'll be reading with her a lot. :) She's cute though. Oh yeah, but this lady came by and dragged the elders over to her house to give her a blessing of health. Then dragged us along too so that we can start teaching her. Well, alright. If you insist on giving us a great investigator, then I suppose it's alright! :P

Then, we were walking to a cita one night on the calle Lima, when my comp realizes outside a MA house, there's a lady we haven't met. Well, she's the menos activa. Her name is Mery. She committed to come to church (and didn't come...). But she had us go meet her 89 year old dad, who's on his sickbed. He's literally skin and bones. So sad. But he lit up when we walked in the room. He can't hear, and can barely see. So we just showed him pictures of Christ, and awkwardly sat there for a bit and sang (even though he can't hear it), and prayed. But it was a cool experience. The Spirit was very strong in that room. Though he's Catholic, and when we showed him a picture of Christ, he started praying to it.... Yeah. Well, our visit comforted Mery too. We'll be visiting her and hopefully convincing her to come to church. 

That's about all for the week.

Hope you all have a great week!

Hermana Brogan