Friday, December 11, 2015

Las Brisas - Week 17

December 7, 2015

Well this week I really dont remember alot that happened but it was pretty crazy. I think this week was so hard and unpredictable and frustrating bu tit just made me love the mission even more and we have gotten really good about finding blessings and little miracles in every crazy hard thing that happens. 

My testimony has also really grown in the simple beautiful truths of the Gospel. Our investigator Hans has about every question that you could ever think of and honestly some of them just arent that important to know. But every question can always tie back into the plain simple truths of the Gospel. Yeah its extremely frustrating sometimes but ive learned that were not here to answer every nitty gritty question but were here to testify of what we know to be true, and through that we can help others feel este seguridad también. 

Also we contacted a girl and her aunt in the  street this week and they are just made of some beautiful souls. Oh my word that are the sweetest and I just have so much love fro them! We have visited them a few times during the week and they are just full of desire to learn more! We mostly saw Antonella (shes 22) cause her aunt was out of town for an emergency thingy. They are a hard time understanding what they read in the Book of Mormon but they can feel the spirit and they want to learn more and sometimes thats all you have to have and the rest will come. Poco a poco 

Also  I T S   F I N A L L Y   D I C I E M B R E ! ! !
Palabra mio... I love christmas. I love this time of year so much. If someone mentions anything that is possibly christmas related I just get all giddy inside and sometimes i get a little giddy outside too! But its just so beautiful! We had an actividad for the missionaries in Historia Familiar (there are 8 of us. 4 comps) and we set up a projector outside of IRU and put on the church christmas videos and sang christmas carols and contacted people and invited them to watch the videos and I just love christmas so much! 

Also the christmas devotional was off the chain! Its just all so great, all the everything!
Ok so I love you all so much and I hope you all just take some time to really think about the ¨reason for the season¨ chirstmas is awesome and fun, but its also a time to reflect on the maravilloso birth of our Savior and the gift of eternal life, eternal joy and happiness that we can have, not only for this month or this year or this life, but forever, gracias a El. 

Also we get to eat chancho for christmas. Thats normally a forbidden food here, but not for christmas! 

Also go to navidad.mormon.org right now and watch the vídeo navideño, it will change your life! #HaNacidoUnSalvador 

With love from Lima
The time has come.....
This is my cuy (guinea pig) - Freddy.
I am going to eat him this coming Saturday 
Hermana Scarlett


Quail eggs are really a big thing here. also they are delicious and are cheap as dirt.


A birthday tradition - showered heavily with FLOUR

Las Brisas - Week 16

November 30, 2015

H A P P Y   L A T E   T H A N K S G I V I N G ! ! !  

I made Hole-in-Ones for Turkey Day!
Here thanksgiving doesnt really exist but they do have apple pie (but its really kinda like applesauce in a pie crust) so we got a slice of apple pie to celebrate... but then I dropped mine on the floor, but it was just a false alarm cause it landed on a plastic part so thanksgiving wasnt ruined!  

But this week was super great!
We found two familias that really want to listen and learn more about the gospel. We contacted a joven in the street one day and then went to find her in her house a few days later and her dad opened the door and let us in and had both his kids come and sit to listen and we explained why we were there and our purpose and how the gospel blesses families and the dad got teary eyed and told us that this is something he wants for his kids. We invited them to church but they were confused sunday morning and thought that we were going to pick them up at 7:45 but church starts at 9 so we went by at 8:45 and nobody was hoome! But were gonna see them again later this week. 

The other family we found is Familia GOnzales and they are young parents and they have two adddoooraabblllee little girls and they just want their kids to have some kind of belief or relationship with God cause they arent really religious at all. But they ar just super great!

ANd also Hans, I dont know where he came from but He is just golden. He has about 245892649857 questions but thats good cause it shows that he is really learning and that he wants to know these things. Hahah also we invited him to IRU to do historia fmailiar but he was there looking for the room where we were and a profesor like told him that class was starting and so he just went into the class and he was like I dont know what happened but I was stuck in that class for like 2 hours! Hahah but he told us he learned alot so no hay problema!

KFC Wrap with hardly anything in it!
Hahah also I learned a bunch or alcohol words this week... What happened was i accidentally ate some kind of alcohol chocolate. I thought is was just like a bonbon with a cherry in the middle but it really had another surprise inside... SO I learned some new alcohol words this week in spanish and I know know that those chocolates werent normal bonbons... But we had a good laugh and I washed my mouth out with some alfajores.
 
Haha also we were contacting one night and we contacted this guy and we thought for sure he was drunk at first cause all his words were like slurred. But then he was like forgive my spanish Im still learning. Ive never had anyone say that to me before! ALso we told him that we were Peruanas and he believed us! Score! But he was from Brasil (portugese really is like drunk spanish!) And we told him that we were still learning spanish too! Ha! But he believed that we were from Peru! 

ALso I cut hermana Deppes hair! Im practically a professional. I just did all the things that JUlie did to my hair, just the things that looks like I know what I am doing . Fake it till ya make it.. 

Yeah so lots of little miracles, lots of laughs, lots of blessings! Man I love the mission! 
Love you all so much and you are in my prayers!

With

My Compy trusted me with scissors and her hair!
love from Lima
Hermana Scarlett

Las Brisas - Week 15

November 23, 2015

What do you call a cow with a twitch?  BEEF JERKY! 
a member some how had laffy taffys and shared them wit hme! The jokes are still funny as ever 

Well this week was something else, but great as always!

We have had quite a few meetings this week and last week in the IRU building.I cant really remember what exactly IRU stands for, Instituto de Religion and then some other word that I dont remember. But its really cool cause its like the first of its kind ever in the world! Its basically a huuuuge building that has like seminary classes and mission prep classes and courses about the bible and all kinds of Gospel classes, and of course we have the family history center! But some area leaders and some people came from Salt Lake to see how it is going what we need. Were like the guinea pigs for these centers! They are planning on putting one in Argentina and Brasil I think so they are watching us to see  how it is going. But its great and we have alll kinds of fun activities planned for IRU!
Hermana Deppe watching over me in my sick bed :(

Also this week I was sick :( 
Im not 100% sure what I had but I was basically in bed for like 2 days. But I learned something form this experience, Latinas are crazy! Im not even kidding. If you get sick they will try to get you to do all kinds of weird voodoo crap! 
Well maybe not voodoo, but I was told that I needed to cut an onion in half and sleep with it... in my bed... no thanks.
Also i was told i had to boil a potato cut it in half and put it on my forehead with cucumbers over my eyes... no thats weird... 
Also Hermana Cadima wanted to get a bowl of egg yolks and do like egg yolk acupuncture in my armpits... hard passs
And then there are the pills. They will literally just give you all kinds of pills not knowing what exactly they are or what they do... I just smile and thank them and then toss the pills out. I dont wannna die. 

Las Hermanas, Party Decorators extraordinaire!!!
This week our pensionistas little babe Jeremy turned 1 year old. Also latinas are a little crazy with birthday parties... Her sister flew from spain to go to the party and we helped her get everything together. i have never seen so much candy in my whole entire life. Its ridiculous! But Jeremy is cute... well actually now he scares me cause He like just got his teeth and now he bites everything and he likes to hide under the table while we eat and sometimes he just bites my leg! And it hurts! And my instinct it to just kick him, but Im a missionary and hes a baby so no pasa nada... 

Our investigator Hans is the booomb! He just shows up to church and always reads everything and wow, hes just awesome! haha wednesday he called us but I was in my bed dying so Hermana Deppe talked to him and then she came into the room and was like yeah tomorrow night we are going to go over to Hans house to sing... what'? Neither of us understood what exactly he was asking but heermana deppe was just like yeah sure! So Thursday rolls around and I was feeling better so we went over and he was like surprise here is every single person in my family! So we met all his aunts and uncles and cousins and  parents and grandparents and everyone in between! But they loved us so much! So we sang (Happy Birthday.. ahah) and then we had to leave and they were like comeback sooonnn! Hahah you bet your bottom dollar we will! THey are the best!

Well I cant really remember alll the othe 23896964 things that happenes this week, but I am starting to get a foot tan! Also a reallly stinky guy just sat down next to me.... Maybe you wanted to know that maybe not... now you do.. 

ANyways I love all of your faces and stuff and i am still here in lima tearin it up! I love the mission and I love a}this gospel! Its true its true its true! Thanks for all the support and prayers! 

With Love from Lima 
Hermana Scarlett



Our ward activity -
Everyone went to Jeremy's birthday party......

Las Brisas - Week 14

November 16, 2015

Well this week was just full of ups and downs, but it was great as always. 

One of our investigators that was just sooo ready for baptism (Johnny) told us that he didnt want to be baptized now- "mas adelante mas adelante " is what he kept telling us. ALso he didn't want us to visit him anymore, he said he'd tell us when we could come back... That was hard. But everyone has their agency, its a blessing but its also a frustration sometimes! But we have done all that we could and he has a testimony so now all that we can do is leave it up to him and God. Its hard for all of us but we can all learn from it. 

But where there are hard times and disappointments there are always miracles and blessings. This week we have been working with on of our new investigators and he is GOLDEN! His name is Hans (like from Frozen) and he is just the coolest guy ever. He reads whatever we give him, he just goes to church and all the activities and we dont even have to remind him- haha he actually reminds us of our lessons and appointments that we have with him! Hes just a star- were also secretly trying to marry him off with one of the girls in our ward! Hahah but first he needs to be baptized and he accepted su fecha bautismal! I hear wedding bells ringing in the distance!

Our prize for making so many contacts this week!
This week we contacted 98 people and I just love contacting people! Sometimes its awkward cause they try and kiss us and we end up playing dodge face and just showing our hands at them for them to shake. We also had one contact and it was this older lady that is always in the park and we talked with her for a bit and we shared our purpose as missionaries and then we invited he to be baptized! But she was funny cause she was this little thing and she was looking up at us with her neck bent at a 90´ angle and when we were talking about baptism she just started furiously shaking her head! "Si baptismo! SI Baptismo!" and so we invited her to be baptized in the mismo manera de Jesucristo and she was like yes yes! I am going to baptized in the river! I am going to go to Jerusalem and be baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist! Haha she was pretty excited about it and was running around saying she was going to go to Jerusalem to be baptized! I think she may have been a little crazy but she was sweet and we had a good laugh! Contacting is the best. 

This week we also had a talent show, which was more stressful than I could ever express. I know my mom always said that I was a really bad procrastinator, but I got nothing on Peruvians. It went a little something like this... SUrprise today is the day on the talent show and you need to be in a skit with your barrio, and your zone and have a special musical number prepared!.... Santa vaca. But somehow a miracle happened and it all went smoothly and it was funny and great. But there was about an hour or two in there where I seriously contemplated chugging some nasty peruvian water so I could just be sick in bed and not have to worry about the show! But it turned out super good! 

Me and my compy on Cerro san Cristobal
TOday for Pday we went to Cerro San Cristobal which is this giant hill where you can see like all of lima from. We took a buss up there and it was double decker so we sat up top! It was super cool but it is also kinda sad. In the Cerros is where the super poor and humble people live, also its kinda dangerous. But Lima is beautiful- and foggy. and Peruvians are the best. And it was fun! Haha also we met in the Centro de Lima with the district and there were so many asian people with selfie sticks. I just walked around and took pictures of them when everyone else was talking pictures of all the cool buildings and stuff! Great time!  ALso I forgot like 60% of what else happened this week so sorry about that. But rest assured, I am working my fanny off every day and I love it! 

This work is great and this Gospel is perfect! 

With Love from Lima 
-Hermana Scarlett 

On Double Decker Tour Bus
Our Zone on top of  Cerro san Cristobal

Foggy view from the top

So many Asians with self-sticks!!!

Another Asian with a selfie stick :)

Policeman with big guns - hahaha!


Getting ready to go up Cerro San Cristobal

Houses on the side of the Mountain





Las Brisas - Week 13

November 9, 2015

Welllll this week I had my first cambio! Well this is actually my third cambio but it was my first cambio with cambios. Hermana Linares left me and is not an hermana capacitadora in another zone and I have a new companion! Her name is Hermana Deppe and she is from Atlanta Georgia! Shes not from Utah!..... not that there is anything wrong with people from Utah.... there's just a lot of them... Hahah anyways shes great, super sweet, super funny, and we are already just two peas in a pod! 

Me and my new companion - Hermana Deppe from Georgia!
I was super nervous about the cambios because I was going to have to show the ropes to someone else while learning the ropes at the same time! But cambios are a blessing. Its hard to change companions and sometimes sectors but its just another way that we have to learn and grow in the mission. Something that I learned was that I know a lot more than I thought I did! I can speak better spanish than I thought I could, I can navigate the streets better than I thought I could, and I can rely on the Lord better than I thought I could. 

So this week was super chevre. Nothing super special or crazy happened, but it was great. I may have said this before but we have a meta from President to contact at least 15 personas cada día. Before that was super crazy and I had no idea how in the world we were going to lograr este meta! But I loooove contacting! Before I was always nervous because the people might say "no" so it was hard to feel motivated a hacerlo. But really one of three things happens with every contact. 
1. "No thanks" and keep walking. 
2. They are crazy and do something super strange or weird (sometimes a bit rude) 
3. They want to learn more! 

There are so many tiny milagros y bendiciones that we are seeing from this meta. We are finding more and more people to teach (our mission is the smallest in the world- if the roads werent so crazy it would take about 20 minutes to drive from one end to the other- buuut there are about 11 million people living here) we are so much more excited and animated, my confidence is growing so much, and President pormised us that when we are working in this meta our investigators would progress mas rapido! SO. MANY. BLESSINGS. FROM. OBEDIENCE. 

Also we are planning the baptism for our investigador, Johnny, this saturday! Johnny es lo maximo! We passed by his house one day to sacar una cita, and he opened the door and he had all of the folletos in his hands! He said said he was just about to eat lunch and read them all again! Hes the best, lots of prayers for him and that all goes well for saturday!

Also there is a stake activity this saturday and im freaking out a bit. We (like half of my zone) are doing some skit and for some reason I have like one of the main speaking parts! Why? I dont really know cause I know like the least spanish out of almost everyone in the zone! I think its cause they think I am funny or something. Im not really sure why. But yeah now I have to learn lines and how to improvise in spanish, wish me luck.. or maybe you should just pray for me.

Eating Yummy burgers!!!!
So as usual, there was like 293057 other things that happened but I dont remember them right now. Oh wait! I remembered something... this sunday I had to conduct the music during the first hour.. I dodnt like that. I dont know how to conduct music! Haha also it was a surprise. We were just sitting in the pew and i wasnt paying attention and then my comp elbowed me and said they they said my name and that I had to conduct the music, and I guess i was just a bit slow to realize what she was saying and to get up there to conduct so our piano guy just started to play and I like ran up to the front and just started waving my arm around! I literally was just spelling my name with mmy hand.... Haha but then during the talk I was studying in the back of the himnario how to conduct. So by the last song I was practically a pro. 

Yeah so thats it. love you all, miss ya a bit,, but not too much cause the mission is the best and im working my bum off! Have the best week ever and dont forget to say your prayers, read your scriptures and go to church to receive allll the blessings that Heavenly Father has in store for each and every one of us!

les quiero muchisimo! 
With love from Lima💕
Hermana Scarlett




Las Brisas - Week 12

November 2, 2015

Bienvenidos a la carta de Hermana Scarlett 

Hello all, this week was interesting and great as always. 
It rained!!!!
Actually it was a fine mist but for Lima, it was a real monsoon.
And no, I'm not standingon anything, I'm just a giant here!
I discovered (and and tasted) Parts of a chicken that I never knew existed before. By the end of the mission im gonna have the anatomy of the chicken down pat. I had chicken heart in my soup one day, and some other rubbery part of a chicken another day... im not quite sure what part it was but it was pretty interesting in taste and in how it looked. 

Ok so a ton happened this week so its possible that this email will end up being a novel.... lo siento

So this week one of our investigators passed away. It was super sad and we were pretty much in shock. We knocked on her (Elisa) door and her son answered and we asked how he was and he just said that he was not good cause his mom had passed away. She was a little sick before but she was getting better but then about 3 weeks ago she had a bad heart attack and then sunday she passed away. We went by later with a miembro to give her son a blessing of comfort and then we talked with him about where she is now. He knows and we know that she is ok, and he said how glad he was that right now she is still listening to the Gospel and that he can feel her love still. It was tender, but it was hard for all of us. But we know that she is in a much better place now. 

This week we visited Johnny more. He is super ready for baptism and had his entrevista and has a testimonio and has completely stopped drinking, but his fecha fell again cause he didnt come to church this sunday! So frustrating! ANd he is reading the Libro de Mormon and that is the hardest thing to get people to do! Soooo close with him! BUt hes great and he can do it. Its al about the faith and the work. 

Also H A P P Y H A L L O W E E N ! ! ! Here there is some other holiday (Like some kind of music festival day) and they people do nothing for halloween! Actually a school was protesting halloween, they were in the streets shouting and singing anti hallowen songs and handing out fliers and they had some old lady like singing and praying into a mic and there were massive speakers that they were just pushing down the streets. But for halloween we bought a bag of candies and went out and contacted people and gave the kids candies and the parents pass along cards! It was lots of fun and we found a few people that are intrested in hearing more! 

Sunday we had a pleasant surprise when one of our new investigators showed up to church! His name is RIcardo and he lives with his wife and 2 sons (they are like grown) but we just had one lesson with them about a week ago and they said they were really sure when we could come back and teach them again because they are busy alot (sometimes when people say this they just dont want us to come back) but we called him a few times during the week to try and get a cita, but nothing. BUt then he was in the Capillia sunday and he stayed all therr hours and really enjoyed it, and participated in all the classes. SUuuper great!
Lima Peru Temple

Haha this is a bit funny, so we got a reference from the offices for us to contact. So we went and we found the house and rang the bell and we were waiting and waiting and then guess who came to the door... None other than our- a little bit too friendly- neighborhood borracho! But it was funny cause he did not recognize or remember us from the past two times he saw us (But i mean he was pretty plastered then...) but yeah so we have a cita to go back and teach him another day. Hahah but its funny cause he already has the first two folletos from when we saw him in his state of drunkeness, he just doesnt remember. 

Oh also this week we had pday on thursday because thursday we went to the TEEMMMPLEE! I love the temple. I love the temple. I love the tempe. Its the best place on earth. It was great, but like x12348990. You should all just go to the temple. Go and feel the calm and peace, the love of our Heavenly Father and to receive the blessings that HE has in store for all of us. 

Well that all folks- not really there is like 5082395 other things that happened this week but im a bit lazy (probably cause im getting fat)- Ill save all the really good stories for later ( like for 14 months later cause YO CUMPLÍ 4 MESES! but it feels like a lot longer that that- and a lot shorter at the same time. Its weird..) 

 Anyways I Love this quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard and its something that i've thought alot about this week because it is true. THis Gospel is for everyone- for everyone who has the desire to follow in Christ's footsteps, not just for this life but for the eternities. "Because I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He loves me, I find the courage to repent and to strive to be what He would want me to be. I know this knowledge can do the same for you, if you want it to- now, and forever"

With Love From Lima 

-Hermana Scarlett

A procession in the street for a Catholic Saint



Thursday, October 29, 2015

Las Brisas - Week 11

Our pensionista's doggie - we are doggie sitting!
October 26, 2015

Well this week was a blur, and also the space bar on this computer is super crazy so sorry if I am lacking spaces in this post!

So I'll explain about the borrachos, beans, birthdays and blessings that happened this week. 

SO first, los borrachos. The Drunks. SO like weeks ago we were teaching someone in the street (Nilo- where he works) and some borracho came up and started jabbering away. Yeah well It was the same guy again. So one night we were outside someones house waiting for them and this guy crossed the street to talk to us. He started asking us where we lived before this life and we told him that we lived with Heavenly Father and then he asked some other question and started telling us that we were pretty but we need to learn what we are saying and teaching. We tried to end the conversation but he just kept going and going and then he started pointing down the street saying "that's where I live, you need to come visit me" But then he said "But not for me, you need to visit my son. He needs to get married, you need to marry him" WHHAAT. SO then I was like No thanks I'm good. He kept saying "He needs to get married, I want grandkids..." Oh no... SO then we referred him and his son to the the church and practically ran away! Dang Borrachos. 

Our chili dawgs!
Here beans aren't super common so people get pretty excited when there are beans for a meal. SO we went over to a members house saturday to cook for them, but they wanted to eat american food. Really we don't have special food in the US, its pretty much all from other countries. But we thought about it and we decided to make chili cheese dogs! And we made them with fréjoles! We made the chili and cut up some almost cheese (real yummy cheese here is hard to find and kinda expensive) The members, Bryan and Sisi, were super excited about the chili with beans! Hahaha but it was all good and yummy! 

This week Hermana Correa had her 23rd birthday. Birthdays here are a little different, and a little messy. So after we sing the birthday person takes a bite out of the whole cake, but normally what happens is when they are about to bite the cake someone just shoves their face in it. Also if it is your birthday you can expect to have eggs smashed on your head and if you are lucky you get a bag of flour to top it all off! Hermana Correa was lucky. But birthdays are fun!

And blessings. We have so many blessings in our lives that we don't even realize. And there are so many blessings that our Heavenly  Father has in store for us, all we really need to do it ask with faith and then act on our faith doing the things that have been asked of us from our Heavenly Father. Here in the mission I have seen so many blessings in my life and in the lives of others. Sometimes we thing that it is hard to act, to keep the commandments and do the things that we should. But really its simple have faith and act on your faith. If we have fear recognize it and replace it with faith. If we have fear we don't have faith, if we have faith we don't have fear. This week we had so many blessings. We found 4 new investigators who are open to hearing this gospel and we have been able to work with more and more people. Faith and action are the keys that everyone possesses to open the doors of heaven to receive every blessing the God has in store for us. 


  
Besos y Abrazos!!

With Love from Lima,

Hermana Scarlett

Las Brisas - Week 10

I'm going to be a crazy cat lady
when I go up!!
October 19, 2015

Well this week was great as always. And I'm serious when I say all the weeks are great. They are hard and there are tough times during the week but at the end of the day its what I learned from the hard times that are important. And at the end of the day I don't remember all the things that made me a little agitated or frustrated, I remember all the tiny milagros (miracles) that I saw, all the people that I talked to and all the fun times and funnny things that happened. So yeah there are no bad days here, tough moments a veces (at times), but never a bad day!

This week was a little jumbled up cause one of the hermanas in the trio that lives kinda with us has been having health problems so we have been helping her a lot. One of the hermanas has been with us so we are in a trio when she was at the doctor. But it was fun.

We are working a lot with Carmen and the thing is with her, she knows everything is true, she has a testimony and wants to be baptized but she has to wait for her not-husband to finish getting divorced so they can get married. And here that takes a long while. But we are trying to get in touch her son because her grandson (Enzo) is suuuper interested in the church. He is only 9 but he is the dang cutest. We gave him one of those picture books with alll the stories from the book of mormon in it and he is always reading it and is always asking us if he can pray and is always excited for sundays cause he wants to go to church. Hes a little golden boy. 
Hermanas are awesome party planners!

Also this week we had intercambios. I was with Hermana Bruns in our sector. It was cool and it helped me a lot with just having to know where people lived and being able to explain who people are and what their story is to another person, because its most likely that that is what is going to happen this cambio (transfer). But I feel good about it. 

Also today one of the girls from the ward is leaving for her mission! Antonela Chavez! She is just the funnest person that there ever was. She is going to the Sao Palo Interlagos mission so she might see Justine or Mykenna in the CTM! Also yesterday was the birthday of Ximena (She is waiting for her mission papers) and she is just the greatest. We had a Noche de Hogar with them and then we all went around the room and shared our wishes for her for her birthday. Haha but it is funny cause whenever I speak they always take a video of me! Que pena! But the ward here is suuper great and close knit and always willing to help us out. 

Ahhh yeah I love Peru, I love the Mission, i love this ward, I love this gospel! I wish you all could just be here with me and see and experience all the thing that I see and experience every day. I've come to the conclusion that it is just about impossible to share all my feelings and experiences and just all that is happening here with you all! But I try! Just know that there are miracles in this mission, this gospel is true and that Jesus is the Christ. God is our loving Father in Heaven and He has a plan for us and that we can live with Him otra vez (once again) and have eternal families! That's my goal and what I am working toward every day. For me and for the people I am serving here in Lima !
Fire extinguisher should be here, held securely
in place by this belt nailed into the box....

Besos y Abrazos!
With love form Lima!
Hermana Scarlett


Las Brisas - Week 9

October 12, 2015

Hmmm this week. 

Well we are working with a new investigator, Lilia. She is a fun little lady. She really likes to talk, but that's fun. The people here are always talking and will tell you their whole life story and all of their problems and whats going on with their dog, and neighbors, and chisme (gossip), and everything in between if you let them. Its fun, I learn new things every day. But yeah, Lilia is great and wants to learn more about the church, yay! 

SO we are working more with contacting and in our zone meeting wednesday we had like 5 minutes to go out in the street and contact. SO we went and we talked to this lady and she was real sweet and was just talkin talkin talkin! SO we told he about the church and got her datos (digits, phone number) but then she started talking about her son (after she asked how old I was..) and she kept saying that ¨El es muy Churrrro¨, ¨´Churrrrisimo!¨ haha Churro is a food and it also means like reaaly good looking or handsome. She was really trying to set me up with her son! Que pena (How embarrassing)...

Also I learned a thing or two from a reeealy less active member we found this week. First I learned that we (as members) need to always remember that people are watching us. People notice our actions, good and bad. This man stopped going to church because he saw members not living in accordance to their baptismal covenants and not living in a Christlike way. I saw this as an invitation for us members to always strive to be better and strive to be a Christlike example. Also the second thing I learned from him was about all the secret combinations of the united states.... he was a bit anti-United States. It was funny cause he pulled out a dollar bill with all kinds of notes and things circled and dotted lines and a national geographic magazine about mysteries or something like that. He told me all about Obama and the Masons and a bunch of other stuff. That was a fun time. 

Also this week was super for Luis! He went to a JAS (Young Single Adult) dance and made some friends, went to church, and we had a suuuper great noche de hogar with them and a bunch of members from the ward. OH man its great for him, he needed support and friends from the church, so so important! Also his mom, Elizabeth, she is doing great also. But seriously I can't express how important it is to have support from the members. Really if investigators don't have the support and fellowship from the members its super hard for them to stay active cause they are really stepping into a new world and its scary. But the members here have been great. 

Also this sunday was the Primary program and it was just too dang cute!  And just like home, there was the little rascals that shouted the words and it was just too good. Also 3 of our investigators were at church, some menos activos, and like 2 new people that are intrested was just there, so were gonna follow up with them this week! 

Yeah this church is true y´all! Learn it, live it, love it. It will change your lives! 

With love from Lima
con mucho amor
-Hermana Scarlett


Las Brisas - Week 8

October 5, 2015
Service this week - helping out with maintenance at a local
home for special needs kids - LOVED IT!!

This week was interesting, well really every week is interesting, but good, always great! 

We were able to meet with one of our investigators that we haven't seen in a while. Actually I've never met her, but I did this week! Her name is Ximena and she is 14 and is so stinkin sweet and so sincere. We taught her the first lesson and she just wanted to read everything and understand it all. It was great. But she doesn't have much time cause she is in school all the time and has exams and stuff. But we are gonna try and talk to her parents (they are always pretty busy) and include them in the lessons this week. 

Also we are focusing a lot more on contacting. SO the other day we were walking and this guy just walked up to us and was like "Hey what state are you from?" Haha I responded "Soy de Peru!" hahe he believed me. Yeah but his name is Chad and he is from Colorado and has lived in Lima for 4 years AND DOESN'T SPEAK ANY SPANISH! I don't understand. But yeah he came over here and married a peruvian but now they are divorced and she lives in the US with his son and he lives here and he doesn't really work so I don't understand why he is here or what he is doing. Haha it was interesting. But yeah he doesn't live in our sector so we passed the reference along. 

Yeah so we are working lot with our recent converts and reactivating some menos activos (less active members). I love working with them and seeing and hearing how their testimonies are growing and how they are setting an even firmer foundation for themselves and for their families. Its little but that is the way we learn and grow the most over time. 

Some interesting and unexpected service. So the toilets here are always a mystery. Sometimes there is not toilet paper (almost always if you rent like in  church building) or sometimes there is no seat, or sometimes they are super backed up (the toilets here don't have lots of sucky power) but people continue to use them anyway. So we went to the capillia and we went to the bathroom where we saw H. Norma (the rs pres) mopping up from a toilet that had over flown a bit. SO we grab some brooms and mops and help her out and so we are all finished. Then she flushed the toilet that had overflown - thinking it would just all go down. NO. It was gushing so much water and the handle got stuck down so it kept going and going and water was everywhere. And the waster was not clean! There were chunks (if ya know what I mean) coming out of the toilet too! SO she went and turned some lever under the sink that she thought was to turn off the water but instead she turned on the baptismal font! Haha so there was water with little surprises everywhere, and we were frantically sweeping it to keep it from going into the hall while she was hitting the toilet with the broom handle to flip the flusher thing back up! It was a wild time. Hahah but eventually we got it all cleaned up and duck taped the door shut so no one else could use it!
Random guy on a horse in Lima......
Also some other Service- this was more expected- We went to a school for children with special needs that didn't have parents and helped with the maintenance. The elders were painting a gate and we were in this little garden area pruning some plants and painting a wall behind the garden. Hahaha so we are working and then I realize that the garden we were working in was like the little shrine area of some Virgin! Hahaha it was really funny, but it looked really good when we were done and we even contacted a few people while we were there. Yeah so then we left and began working in the Lords garden! 

Also General Conference fue lo maximo (was the best)!! Oh man, so great! I keep going for my journal to read my notes over and over cause I wasn't ready for it to be over! But you should all take a look at the conference talks. I would need a whole day to tell you all the things I lovwed from conference and all the things I learned, but I don't have time so I'll just say one little thing. 

Something that really impacted me was the emphasis on the "simple and beautiful truths of this Gospel" When we have a strong foundation in these truths everything else will fall into place when we continue to live this Gospel and act on our Faith. I know that Jesus is the Christ. HE lives. We have a Heavenly Father who lives and loves us so much. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is the word of God written specifically for us today. The Book of Mormon was translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith through the power of God and there are Prophets here on the earth today working through the power of God. I love this Gospel and the Happiness, peace and comfort it gives me. Its true and its real and it is for every child of God. 

Love you all and you are in my prayers! 

-With Love from LIma 
Herman Scarlett
Dog on the roof of the apartment building across from ours.
I think he is a werewolf.....




Las Brisas - Week 7

September 28, 2015

I'm not sure if I'm gonna do a play by play of every day cause there is just so much and it takes forrrever to write! 

So I'll just talk about some of the things that happened. Ya

Las Hermanas on a very little bus!
We are teaching this lady named Carmen right now. She is the mom of Willy. We visit her a lot and she always wants to listen and has good questions. She already knows a lot cause she is an old investigator and has family in the church. The only thing is she lives with her Boyfriend and he works all day so we haven't really had time to talk to him and she hasn't either. But she is great, super sweet. She also has a little grandson- Ansel (I think its spelled differently but that's how it is pronounced) and he is so stinkin cuuute! He is in 4th grade and one day he was just watching us talk with Carmen and we invited him over and he read some scriptures with us and then we taught him how to pray and he said the closing prayer. And then our next visit he told us about how he went to church during the week and what he learned, and that he taught his brother how to pray too! HE is the sweetest. SO we are gonna try and talk to his parents too!

We met with our other investigator, Luis, a few times this week too. Its been a while since we talked to him cause he is always working or in school or with his dad. But we talked to him about his baptism and he wants to be baptized! Also him mom (Elizabeth) is so sweet and supportive of him. Also she was telling us how she is never going to forget us and we will always have a specail place in her heart. That was tender. They are great

Johnny is our other investigator. He has such a strong testimony and is ready for baptism, the only thing is that he wants to share it with his family, but he doesnt live with them so were trying to figure out his fecha (date) with him. Yeah but he is pretty solid and soooo sincere about everything. Hes super.. Just gotta work out the logistics with him. 

Ok so for the funny awkward moments of the week....
1. so there is a plentitude of creepy guys here and sometimes they walk by and like say things under their breath at me. SO yesterday we were walking and this guy walked by and I thought i heard him say "Gringa" so I was like yep you're right. Hashah but then my comp was like nooo he was saying liiinda (pretty)! Ok awkward.
2. We were visiting with Katy an someone knocked on the door and she opened it and it was the testigos! We made eyecontact and it was awkward and they talked to katy for a minute and then they left. They are everywhere here...
3. Hahah Hermana Linares really likes beyonce and sometimes she sings the songs but she doesn't say real words. But then I figured out she was singing DIVA: (A diva is a female version of a hussler) haha i died laughing, and then I taught her reallly how to sing it. Straight thuggin it in the streets of Lima. 

Ok now for my little spiritual moment!
I FINISHED THE BOOK OF MORMON! Woot woot! I was just readin readin readin and then I turned the page and there was no more words. I just kinda looked at it for a minute and then started to crrryy. I didn't want it to be over! But now I'm going to start it in Spanish. You guys need to read it. Its a pretty good book. Seriously. But now I'm gonna start reading it in SPanish. Yall it is soo sooo true and so perfect. I have such a strong ttestimony of that and I just want everyone to read it and feel and know how perfect it is for every single person. I love the Book of Mormon. 
Yeah well I love you all so much and you are in my prayers!
With Love from Lima 
-Hermana Scarlett

These are pictures of some historic old buildings in part of LIma - they are super cool!

KFC in a fancy building :)