Las Jardines - Week 9

March 28, 2016

So what exactly happened this week? 

Its all a blurr, we worked hard and we preached the Restored Gospel of Jesucristo!

This week was Semana Santa and everyone here loves Semana Santa (Holy Week? Im not really sure if we say that in english..). The Catholic people all climb the hill Cerro San Cristobal, im not really sure why but thats what they do! Also there are people who dress up like Jesus and the Santos and walk around the streets with giant crosses with a hoard of people following them and everyonce in a while they stop adn recite their prayers and sing. Also everyone eats fish. 

As misioneras we celebrate Semana Santa a liiiitle bit differently. We share the message that Cristo came to this earth. He taught the people, loved the people, and served the people. Jesucristo atoned for our sins and died for us, so that we may become wloe in Cristo. But we also share the message that He lives! He ressurected, and because He lives we will live again too. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." (1 cor 15:22) 

Also we walk alot- just not up the hills. 

This week we have found some really cool people that are really interested in our message- we just gotta get em to church, thats the tricky part.... 

But this weekend is General Conference! WOOHOOO! And we already have a ton of poeple lined us ready to listed to the words of the profet and the other leaders of the church!

Yeah so the church is super true, but not only is it true but it is the only true church and the only church that has the authority of God here on the earth. How cool is that! Its great. I love it. The mish is rockin and im here in Lima livin it up like no other!

With Love from Lima 

Hermana Scarlett

Las Jardines - Week 8

Here, they love to shove cake in your face
at your yearly checkpoint!

March 21, 2016

Well this week I got an ugly redneck, farmers tan sunburn, tripped about 500 times (still clumsy as ever), got tricked into eating nasty cow parts, and turned 20 years young!!

This week was a good one. Weird things always happen with hermana Sanchez by my side, just makes life a bit more interesting!  For example, one day we were walking in the park and saw a big black trash bag (it looked inflated) in a park. I wanted to see what was under it so i started walking towards it and somebody started yelling at me! And that somebody was in the trash bag! Why? We have no idea... 

This week we also had entravistas with President. Ahhh so great, I love talking with president y hermana Larson. 

We are running around here in Los Jardines like crazy people. This sunday we had several of our investigators come to church which was great- but only 1 stayed for all three hours.... But progress is progress! Yeah well sorry I dont really know what else to sayyyy! The mission is great I love being here walking among the Limanites and sharing this marvellous Gospel of eternal peace joy and happiness! 

Also im 20 now! It was weird i just woke up one day and I saw the world in different colores and the food tasted foodier, My tallness felt a little tallier, and I just seemed to know everything and have all the answers to all the questions. It was a nice experience. 

Also check out this super great video about Easter and about our Salvador Jesucristo.  https://www.mormon.org/easter

Ok love you all so much!

With Love from Lima

Hermana Scarlett

People here think it is funny to shove chicken feet in your face...
also they like to trick white girls into eating squishy cow meat

Las Jardines - Week 7

March 14, 2016

Selfie with Faux Chocolate Tree

Well there were changes over here in the middle of desolate San Juan de Lurigancho. Hermana Moffett got transferred to LAS BRISAS!! but not to my old sector (Las brisas 2) she went to las brisas 1, but the same barrio. Also in to other companionship of hermanas here in the zone- hermana paz and hermana sanches- hermana paz got transferred. And now my new companion is Hermana Sanchez!! They took out both of our companions and put Hermana Sanchez and I together! Now between the two of us we have two sectors to work in!  Were super excited and super exhausted! Now that there is just Los Jardines (There was los jardines 1 &2) we are doing a lot more walking between the two sectors, also we had to move into the new room so we were lugging refrigerators, boxes of books, maletas, desks, every little thing up and down the shair where we live to get everything all together and organized. But it was fun and we are super excited to have this oppurtunity to work in the two sectors and make them one! 

So this week i really dont remember what happened, its all kinda a blurr. Im getting to know the people from Hermana sanchezs sector and shes gettign to know the people in my sector. Its great the work is great, sorry I dont have too many details :)  

Today we went to centro de lima to do a little shoppy shoppin and we found this cute little chocolate museo and got ourselves some delicious chocolates, cause we are hermanas and we love chocolate. 

Also everyone that is going through a litttle bit of a rough patch or a hard time (seriously probably everyone) just needs to take a little 5 minute break from life, sit down with your favorite type of chocolate adn a Book of Mormon adn just read for 5 minutes. Seriously the Book of Mormon is so special and can lift your spirits, change your day around, feel peace and tranquilidad, and so so much more. The mision is hard, heck life is hard. But Dios knows that!  Any for that reason we have tools to help us along in life. I love the Book of Mormon and the oppurtunity that I have here in Lima to share it with people every day, so that they can find answers to their questions, pease in their lives, and eternal happiness. What a blessing it is to have the Santa Biblia and El Libro de Mormon!

Love the mission!
With love from Lima

Hermana Scarlett

Las Jardines - Week 6

Fun contacting practice - hahaha!

March 7, 2016

Hey yall. Im sick! I just have some kinda yucky head cold, but its not fun. My nose is stuffy and my head is throbbing and I sound like I smoke 2 packs a day. I keep hearing my moms voice in my head saying "Blow your nose Sara!" But im feeling better, blowing my nose on a regular basis and truing not to cough up a lung. 

This week was super good- as always. Not a whole lot happened- we walked, taught, found some cool new people, walked some more, taught some more, took a water break (cause its hot) found some more, and then eventually we sleep. 

some things...

1. There is this gym that we pass all the time full of little peruvian guys pumping iron, one day we passed by (there is a giant window the length of the wall) and someone yelled "Hoootdooog!". I was confused and then I asked H Moffett if she heard that and she started laughing and told me that he yelled "guappaaa" haha i guess that does make more sense. 

2. We have this investigador named Orlando that is just the cutest old man (hes really not that old) that came to church sunday! Sundays are always a little stressfull cause a lot depends on if your investigators come to church or not. We arrived at church adn we had one investigator there (but shes waiting to get divorced to get married to get baptized which takes forevvvver here) and no one else. So we were feeling pretty down when church started. We were fasting that out investigators could come to church but we werent really seeing that that was gonna happen that sunday. So we started the sacrament and I was really praying hard that someone would come, or that I could know what else I can do to really help these investigators progress. We took the sacrament and I just felt all my nerves and stress melt away as I focusud on the sacrament and what it really met. Sacrament ended and then they opened the doors and in walks 4 of our investigators! We jumped up and ran and opened the dividers and got some chairs for them and we all sat down adn listened to testimonies. Out of the 5 that were there only 2 were able to stay for all 3 hours (1 asistencia is all 3 hours) It was really great, Orlando met el obispo and made some friends and really enjoyed the classes and told us that he learned alot. And Raquel (our other investigator) was able to go to her class the 2nd hour (normally she would just stay in nursery with her little girl) and then the third hour we sat with her in nersurey with her daughter Emily and were able to teach her. 

Picture of our street taken from our apartment window

It was really nice to see all of our walking and teaching and testifying pay off that sunday. We only had two that were able to stay for all three hours, but every single one of us is important and special in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. We we so excited to see them show up at church not becuase it counts as one asistencia but we can really see that they want to learn more and that their testimonies de Jesucristo are really growing bit by bit. I love the mission, its ridiculously hard at times, but here I have really been able to see people grow closer to nuestro Slvador Jesucristo y a nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial.  Love the Church, and the restored Gospel of Jesucristo que tenemos.

Dios les Bendigas!
With Love from Lima

Hermana Scarlett

haha also this week I shared Moroni 9:8 with a menos activa (her name is Magali and she has 19 years) We were just talking about crime shows and crazy serial killer people and she said that she didnt have that much time to read the Libro de mormon cause shes reading some serial killer psycology book. So I showed her that verse adn she got really excited. then we read a nice pretty verse about faith. The Book of Mormom is so cool!

 

Spying on Testigos de Jehova knocking on a member's door

Dino Chicken Nuggets!!

Las Jardines - Week 5

February 29, 2016

Los Cerros - very humble neighborhoods

Hello all, here I am finally writing this email after walking around for almost 40 minutes trying to find internet. "Why was it so hard to find internet?" you may ask.... well you see ther are 5 million adolecent boys in every single internet playing stuped internet video games. Finally we found some computers....but it still smells like teenage boy armpit in here. 

This week was really great we did a lot of stuff and saw a lot of miracles. And im really tired. Today is pday and we went to Centro de Lima and did a bit of shopping and then we went to the catacumbas. There we learned a lot about the catholic church and saw a bunch of bones. Also for some reason it smelled like garlic in there. 

Things that happened this week. 

• The power went off in about half of our sector- at night. That was terrifying. But we ran to the other side where there was light, so were still alive. 
• We contacted a lady last week adn then se saw here again in the street and she invited us in to talk to her and then she brought out her husband- a pastor from some iglesia evangélica to "talk" about what we believe. It was intereting, thouse guys really like to talk. Its crazy how close they are to the whole complete truth, they  just need the Book of Mormon! 
• We got to stay in nursery for two hours of church cause one o four investigators has a little crazy kid and she works every day till late. SO one of us taught her while the other kept the little one occupied. It was tricky, but it was really great. 
• 23598236 things happened but my brain is fried and im to tired to remember. But one day im sure if you ask waht happened this week ill be able to tell you in perfect detain, but today is not that day.

The church is true, San Juan is hot. San Juan is also a place. The Book of Mormon is my favorite book ever because it is really really cool, and also cause wehn I read it I fell my Saviors love, I feel that I am a daughter of God adn that he has a divine plan for me and for each one of us. I find answers to my questions, doubts, worries. It lifts me up when I feel down, and it lifts me up higher when I am happy. But the thing that I love the most is that its writtin for me and for every single one of us individually adn here in teh mision I can really see how this little book can change peoples lives. Love love loove the Book of Mormon, and you should too!

With love from Lima 

Hermana Scarlett

Also shout out to Dad and grandma margie adn granpa rusty! I got my christmas package! Thanks I love it so much!!! 

WHY MUST THEY PUT OLIVES IN EVERYTHING????

Knocking doors - Catherdral doors!

Las Jardines - Week 4

February 22, 2016

Alexandra on her baptism day!

Well this week was a good one! I dont remember a whoole lot about what happened but I do remember a few things....

1. Hna moffett gave herself a nice little bruise on her face. Here in the mornings we have 30 minutes to excercise. 6:30-7:00 am. But the thing is sometimes its really hard to jump out of bed an get goin on ejercicios, so we have learned a lot of excercises that you can just do laying on the ground! One of them we made up. You take a biiig waterbottle full of water and you kinda bench press it (super easy) but hermana moffett wanted to try something different- so she started throwing it and catching it, throwing it and catching it- higher and higher.... but then she threw it adn she didnt catch it! It fell on her faceee! Oh my word, thats the last time were doing that one. But she had herself a nice purple mark right on he rcheek. Were putting the bottles away for a bit. 

2. Alexandra got baptized! Shes not an investigator, but her mom was suuuper menos activa for a while and she was recently reactivated. So we visited them alot and Tania (the mom) is just so great. She always jsut tells us how much happier she is with the Gospel in her life and how it has really changed her as a person for the better. They are a really special family and I have really seen how the Gospel isnt just for peopel- but its for families. 

TORITOS!!!

3. We found some really cool people that want to listen to us- AND- they came to church! Im not really sure how it is in other misiones, but here they have to go to church for all three hours to count as one asistencia, and to get baptized they need to go three sundays for all three hours. Here our church starts later so the third hour cuts riiight into almuerzo, and here almuerzo is sacred. SO really if someone comes and stays for all three hours theyre special. We didnt have anyone going to church when i came, so we were really kinda starting from ground 0. But poco a poco we have been seeing the fruits of our labors and have been having more and more imvestigators coming for all three hours of church. Its hard, but nothing easy was ever worth it in the long run. 

Also this past 5 weeks we have been having a competition with the elders in the district to see who could have the most invitaciones con fecha. And guess who won..... WEEE DIIID!  So we all went to toritos and they had to pay for our food (suuper yummy mexican food). But also there were tons of blessing that we got from the contest- not just the yummy food!

Well, I really dont remember much else, the mission is great. its hot and hard, but its great nonetheless. 

The church is true, thats one thing I know for sure with all my heart!
Les quiero!

With Love from Lima

Hermana Scarlett 

Early BDay cake from Pres and Hma Larsen - YUMMY

Cute little birdy - until it POOPED on my shoulder :(

Las Jardines - Week 3

February 16, 2016

F E L I Z   D I A   D E   A M I S T A D ! ! ! 

I hope you all had lovely sundays with your friends and loved ones- but also kept the sabbath day holy! 

Honestly this week I cant remember much of what happened this week... 

The highlight was probably when Brillit finally came to church for all three hours! (We can only count the asistencias for their baptism if they are there for the full three hours- and she was!) Brillit is so great. She has been listening to the missionaries off and on for about a year but has never gone to church. So we started visiting her again and teaching her. A while ago we had a training with Elder Uceda (the area president) and he said that a sucessful missionary will "hacer cosas" -do things- with your investigators. SO thats what we did. We read the Book of Mormon with her, we got her a cute colored pencil to help her mark her scriptures, we have kneeling prayers with her, and this sunday we went by and went to church with her. WEve learned how important the compromisos are for the investigadores but its so much more important to apply the compropisos to ourselves to be examples and friends and to really help the people understand the importance of reading teh scriptures, going to church, and praying daily. Its cool to see how the gospel changes people,and to see the changes that the gospel has made in me- but only when we apply the things we learn, and apply them with faith. 

Also we got locked in internet for like an hour the other day. That was not fun. We had to go for 5 minutes to write our family to tell them thaq twe werent going to email monday and the lady left for some reason and locked the gate so we couldnt leave! That was fun to explain when we finally got to our citas. 

Also in our ward we have a residential crazy lady. Im not really sure if she is a member or just some random lady. But she is there every sunday adn doesnt go to any classes- just sits in the sacramental for 3 hours. So this sunday we went in to the sacramental cause we forgot a paper in there and a joven gave me a coin (like 20 cents) and told me that it was from the crazy lady and that I should give it to the bishop. SO we took it and went to find someone to give it to, but then she found us and started yelling at us and told us that that money belonged on the pulpit, and like crossed me with her hand (yeah- i guess she want a member..) and told us that we needed to kneel down and repent. She was crazy... and a little scary too... But shes a daughter of God nonetheles.... 

Also they put me incharge of a specail musical number for the zone for the multizona conferencia- why? I dont know. Nunca jamas. I thought it would be easy- but then I realized that I was working with just a bunch of elders. Asu machina. enserio- nuca jamas. But it turned out good. 

This week was the best- every week is so great. The gospel brings happiness and love and hope and joy and every other good thing that you can think of. Its perfect and its for everyone! 

Love you all so much- I miss ya, but theres no place id rather be right now than in the mision! 

Les quiero!

With Love from Lima 

Hermana Scarlett