La Puma

Hey! Hope everyone's doing well. This week was pretty normal but we're having a blast. I don't think I've laughed this hard on my mission yet so we're lovin it. I really don't have a lot to talk about this week, just the normal routine, the routine is honestly one of the hardest things for me in the mission, everyday I have to find something different or try to make everyday different somehow or I'll go crazy haha, but I've been successful, every day is different, different people to visit, different places to go (cause our sector is HUGE), and different spiritual experiences. 

Always looking for oppurtunities to serve, speaking of which, so recently there's been a ton of riots and strikes going on down the street and in all of Puno and Cusco. We have to stay in our houses till they leave and sometimes it can get dangerous, they usually throw rocks at cars and graffitti them and put huge boulders on the street so cars can't get through, we were down in the center of Puno when millions of people came so we hid ourselves until they went by, and there were no buses so we walked up the highway to our house and all these riot police were cleaning off the rocks for huge semis that were coming through, SO being two white boys in our white shirts we decided to help them cause they weren't even getting the big ones😏.  So Elder Letham and I teamed up and squated these huge boulders off the roads. We probably called too much attention but the police were lovin it and we got the road cleared pretty quick. 

So yah fun little story, service is fun, being representatives of Jesus Christ people really look to you and watch what you do, mostly cause we're white but it's okay:) But I invite you guys to go do some servce! Go help someone! Even if it's your community! I hope you all had a good week!!!  ALMA 42:31   Love you all!

31 And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people. And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness, that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them. And may God grant unto you even according to my words. Amen.

Herly's Baptism

Good week! Herly was baptized by his friend Ronald this last Saturday! Very stressful at first cause we filled up the font a day before but got halfway cause the water ran out. I don't know how water just runs out but that's Peru for ya. So we went back the next morning and of course there still wasn't water haha. So Ronald had to lower him to the ground onto his butt and then have him go all the way under haha, ALSO there wasn't warm water:) But hey he was baptized and it all worked out in the end. After the baptism he bore his testimony and it was awesome, we felt the spirit so strong and we're super excited for our amigo Herly. Herly has knee problems so it's really hard for him to get around, he can't go down stairs or run, which is super hard for him because he used to play soccer a ton, and he was super good I guess. But he was able to go down the stairs to the font cause the stairs were small enough so that was perfect:) 

The rest of the week went really well, we're making progress with Gabriela's family, slowly, but her mom is now convinced!...Dad's turn. Gabriela is awesome, she comes to church EVERY sunday and she's so ready to take that step in her life so we just have to keep praying and have faith. 

So we were walking to Totorani one morning and Elder Letham found a huge spider (I don't like spiders, at all) and he was playing with it with his shoes and this dang spider climbed up his leg so fast it was insane, SO I was laughing so hard because Elder Letham screamed like a girl and while I was laughing he kicked his leg and the little devil flew onto MY leg and then I screamed like a little girl. Good learning experience, we're not playing with any spider again:) Today was transfers but Elder Letham and I are staying!! Hope you all had a good week! thanks for always reading my lame emails! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!  HAPPY JULY 28th!!!;)

Moroni 7.48  
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

Miss California

Awesome week! 

Our investigator Herly had his baptismal interview on Saturday so this Saturday will be the special day for him, Herly is the greatest, he's hilarious and can be friends with anyone, he already knows a tonnnn of people in the ward. He calls me Miss California cause Bledsoe is super hard to pronounce down here lol. But we're very very excited for his baptism this Saturday. 

We finally got to talk to Gabriela's mom this week, Gabriela is super super ready for baptism, she understands it completely and everything BUT her mom still isn't giving her permission:/ We did get to talk to her though and we took a step closer, little by little and with faith we'll get to her, I know it. 

Everything is going super well, we teach a fat load of lessons every week so we're very very busy. It's just the little things that we can't control that are holding us back a tiny bit. But I was reading about Abinidi this week while studying and he literally did everything he could to preach the gospel and still things didn't go his way. ONE person heard his message and was able to escape which is amazing. I think it's how the Lord tests us in this life, sometimes we could do everything perfectly with 110% work effort and still things could go the other way. 

Learned a ton about that this week. Patience, faith and hard work get things done...if it's God's will!!! So yah good week! Sorry I'm terrible at writing letters blah blah but hey since I didn't send any pictures last week here's Elder Letham and I's photoshoot this morning with the rising sun...Have a good week everyone love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                 

Mosiah 4:11-12

11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

Totorani=Lots of Walking, 4th of July boom boom

So yah lots of walking this week, we walk out to the little old western desert town of Totorani at least once or twice a day, people there are super nice and accepting so it's definitely worth it, everytime we get invited into a house the very first time we knock their door I'm just like "...what...?" This week was super good, we had a ton of investigators come to church and they loved it so we're super pumped. 

We're teaching this guy named Herly and he'll be baptized on the 22nd, he's super smart and he loves reggae (me too) so we get along great and this week I was using reggae songs to teach him about the gospel, like why they always say Zion in Reggae songs and why we say it too in our hymns. You can use anything to teach the gospel be creative;) Gabriela is another investigator we are teaching that wants to be baptized but her mom isn't so in on the whole baptism thing so we're trying really hard to talk to her mom and just do everything we can, and have faith haha. Another lady named Marybell who lives in Totorani wants to be baptized as well but this time it's her husband that isn't totally in on it:/ Also another investigator who's been receiving the lessons foreverrrr named Sara told us that she wants to be baptized now, BUT she just has to get an OK from her mom...So our problem is literally just permission from other people, we're doing everything we can and sometimes things still don't work out haha, we just have to keep going with faith and hope haha. 

Elder Letham and I are having a blast, the night of 4th of July the kids that live in our house came home with the most ghetto fireworks I've ever seen, like the big ones were literally taped to bamboo so that was an interesting experience. 

We're having a blast teaching as well haha, I got a talk by John Bytheway that talks about the attitudes we should have and he basically goes through the entire book of mormon, so now when we teach we love using the book of mormon, recently I've been reading King Benjamin's chapters over and over and we've started to use them for investigators, we also now always give them a chapter from the book of mormon to read which is super cool, the Book of Mormon is so dang cool I just didn't realize it before.

 But yah this week went by super fast and today for P-day we played soccer (what's new) and we made a white man team and we wreckedddd. I'm doing super well, learning a ton, having fun and working my butt off! Hope you all had a good 4th of July!!! Enjoy the heat! (I'm freezing!) Really sorry there's no pictures I have some but these dang 1940s computers aren't reading our pictures right now so next week I promise a ton!! Sorry! Bye! Love you all!!

The Dragon has Returned

Pretty slow week, was in bed for most of it haha. So I'm sure you guys remember when I get really sick the last time I was in Puno aaaand it came back!!! Pretty nasty couple of days but Sunday Morning I woke up fine and it's all good now! Just had to be patient, it's funny cause the people here think they know the cure to every disease or why I'm sick, but they don't understand the Gringo life but I do love how caring they are. So yah not a very exciting week but today we celebrated 4th of July by making peach cobbler and having coke floats cause root beer doesn't exist down here:( Elder Letham and I are having a blast, he made the sick-life better so huge shout-out to him for that. But yah sorry there's not much this week!! I'm up and running again and we're gonna work super hard this week. Oh wait actually Elder Letham and I were having a conversation about why Christ refers to us as sheep cause all the sheep we see around here are just stupid and dirty and gross, but the baby sheep are adorable. And then we realized that that makes sense as well haha, as babys and children we're adorable and we don't sin! and as we get older and really nasty with sin we never know where to go without Christ. And with a pastor (Christ) we can become clean and know where we're going and not be like the dumb sheep we always see here in Puno! The Atonement is cool! Use it! Hope you all have a good week!!!! (Tequila (the cat) was my sick buddy this week) 
Jacob 3:1-2

1 But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and prayunto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.