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