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.