Good morning my dear friends and family. How y'all doin? We're doing quite alright out here in San Juan de Lurigancho. Learning lots and working too.
This week I'm very proud to say that I have officially reached my 1 year mark! Wah! Que loco... I still can't quite believe it. That means that there are just 6 little months left. 4 transfers! That's nothing. And I don't quite know what to do about it. I'm happy and sad and surprised and nervous and all the things. We didn't do anything to crazy for my 1 year mark. Just ate chocolate while we did our weekly planning. But that's okay. It was still a good day.
This week I also reached a new feat... An inactive that just got back from a month long trip told me with a sweet laugh and smile that I'm a little more "gordita" than when she first met me. But it's alright! Because I'm tall, so it suits me! I about died. From that point forward, we initiated project diet. We now eat less rice with our potatos. Or less potatos with our rice... however you please.
On Tuesday we had a nice conference with President Erickson. The main purpose of our conference was to show what we know of Lesson 2. We were given the assignment to memorize 3 pages of the lesson to remember key phrases and important principles. I'm pretty sure my companion and I are the only ones that actually memorized all of it and incorporated all of the scriptures. It was pretty rewarding.
The most prominent learning experience that I had this week occurred Saturday morning. We had woken up early to go to the gym, and as we were walking out the door, I ran back to put on my nametag. And wouldn't you know, it wasn't there. I searched up and down, took apart my whole desk, my bedding, my chest of clothing, and it wasn't there! We walked up and down the street by the last lesson we had taught the night before, and it wasn't there either. I was absolutely heartbroken to have lost such a precious part of me that has been with be every single day for an entire year. I had a serious identity crisis. It's hard to feel like a missionary when you don't have your name tag. I knelt in prayer, trusting that the Lord would help me find it, did another search of my belongings, and started our regular study schedule upon not finding it. I tried to be happy and have faith. I was provoked to find the importance of the names we bear.
The scriptures teach us many interesting things about names, but I feel like the most important is the covenant we make to take upon us the name of Christ. We, as missionaries, literally carry the name of Christ with us right along with the name of our family. But every one of us has taken upon us the name of Christ in our baptismal covenants, and every week as we partake of the sacrament. The book of Ether teaches us: And blessed is he that is faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. Are we all worthy to bear his name? It's a thought provoking question that left me thinking deeply.
I love you all. I hope you are all doing well. Until we write again!
PS: Nametag was found!
This week I'm very proud to say that I have officially reached my 1 year mark! Wah! Que loco... I still can't quite believe it. That means that there are just 6 little months left. 4 transfers! That's nothing. And I don't quite know what to do about it. I'm happy and sad and surprised and nervous and all the things. We didn't do anything to crazy for my 1 year mark. Just ate chocolate while we did our weekly planning. But that's okay. It was still a good day.
This week I also reached a new feat... An inactive that just got back from a month long trip told me with a sweet laugh and smile that I'm a little more "gordita" than when she first met me. But it's alright! Because I'm tall, so it suits me! I about died. From that point forward, we initiated project diet. We now eat less rice with our potatos. Or less potatos with our rice... however you please.
On Tuesday we had a nice conference with President Erickson. The main purpose of our conference was to show what we know of Lesson 2. We were given the assignment to memorize 3 pages of the lesson to remember key phrases and important principles. I'm pretty sure my companion and I are the only ones that actually memorized all of it and incorporated all of the scriptures. It was pretty rewarding.
The most prominent learning experience that I had this week occurred Saturday morning. We had woken up early to go to the gym, and as we were walking out the door, I ran back to put on my nametag. And wouldn't you know, it wasn't there. I searched up and down, took apart my whole desk, my bedding, my chest of clothing, and it wasn't there! We walked up and down the street by the last lesson we had taught the night before, and it wasn't there either. I was absolutely heartbroken to have lost such a precious part of me that has been with be every single day for an entire year. I had a serious identity crisis. It's hard to feel like a missionary when you don't have your name tag. I knelt in prayer, trusting that the Lord would help me find it, did another search of my belongings, and started our regular study schedule upon not finding it. I tried to be happy and have faith. I was provoked to find the importance of the names we bear.
The scriptures teach us many interesting things about names, but I feel like the most important is the covenant we make to take upon us the name of Christ. We, as missionaries, literally carry the name of Christ with us right along with the name of our family. But every one of us has taken upon us the name of Christ in our baptismal covenants, and every week as we partake of the sacrament. The book of Ether teaches us: And blessed is he that is faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. Are we all worthy to bear his name? It's a thought provoking question that left me thinking deeply.
I love you all. I hope you are all doing well. Until we write again!
PS: Nametag was found!