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