Gringas!

Lunes: This scripture is one of my new favorites; Alma 58:40 ¨Mas he aqui, han recibido muchas heridas no obstante, permanecen firmes en esa libertad con la que Dios los he hecho libres; y son diligentes en acordarse del señor su Dios obedecer sus estatutos y sus juicios y sus mandamientos continuamente; y su fe es fuerte en las profecìas concernientes a lo que està por venir.¨

Translation for those of us who don't read spanish (40 But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.)

Martes: I talked to this one elder that's new in my district and he told me that he's gained 70 pounds in the mission. It's a real struggle with this stress and la comida llena de grasa. President Klein was having a meeting for just the leaders but he let hermana Haight and I mooch some warm dinner rolls and bottles of water. He's always so nice. 

At the end of the day we went into Lima to this spot on the side of the road in front of the muni, and it's just this stand run by dudes. And they cook! and they cook de miedo! We all ordered gringas, which made me laugh but they were SO GOOD. I honestly wasn't even sure what I was eating because it was dark, around eight o clock. And I was just sitting there thinking if there was an actual dream job food discoverer journalist time, it would be right then. Four dudes just outside of one of the most homocidal cities in the world, with their baseball caps and jeans, just making some straightup crazy delicious cathrachan comfort food. 

¨ ¿Os imagináis que podríais sentaros en vuestras hamacas y que, debido a la imensa bondad de Dios, vosotros podraíais no hacer nada y él os librarías?

He aqui, si habéis supuesto esto, lo habéis hecho en vano¨Alma 60:11 

Translation:  "Behold, could ye suppose that ye could sit upon your thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of God ye could do nothing and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain."

Mièrcoles:  Started off the day contacting and it's weird how as a missionary, people just look at you and decide to open up and tell their life story and their deepest problems and like we don't even ask! How often, in your first conversation with someone, do you hear ¨well my husband just left me and my kids are working because I can't afford to pay for their schooling and right now I just feel like a failure in life.¨?

Like literally they see the nametag and even though they usually don't accept our message they recognize us as people that can help. It's weird. 

oh and it's mango season here so I thought I would show you what we got going here mango wise. They are huge and delicious.

Jueves: We contacted this house and this ooooooooooold lady with long white hair and a dressing gown just stood there looking at us and said nothing. Just shook a skinny knarled finger slowly back and forth. So we took that as a no and dipped.

Viernes: Went to lunch at a less active family`s house. It was chuleta and rice and refried beans and avocado with mango juice that she made as well it was all really good. She showed me photos of when she was younger and I asked if she had photos of her wedding and she tells me that she tore them all up during a fight that they had. and I was just like...oh...

Fourth of July! ´murica. "hardwork n beans". No but seriously we worked really hard in the morning. We volunteered in this construction site and I got to shovel a bunch of rubble and even make some because they let me use the hammer on part of a cinder block wall. Felt like Miley. I like working, you don't have to think or worry about anything. Just shovel. 

We visited Leonidus and he's gone one day with out drinking coffee. So claps for Leonidus. 

We also visited this really old guy that told us about the evil spirits that he keeps having to chase out of the house with his cane.

Hna Haight asked me to call her and sing her the national anthem so I did. 

Domingo: We got fam Murillo to go to church! Little mauricio looked so cute I just wanted a picture with/of him but his mom always wanted to be in it too. 

haha. 

One of our investigators that we've been (or maybe I've just been) frustrated with lately because he doesn't seem to be progressing, came to church!  and he stayed all three hours!  And he's from that one barrio that I told you about how nobody has ever been baptized from there! 

We also had a lesson with this gorgeous future pediatrician and she was so sweet I thought she was just being nice when we contacted her and she said we could come back. But we had a lesson with her and she was listening and had good questions and when I let her keep the book of mormon we showed her, she was like great! "I was going to ask you where I could buy one!" It soooo nice to have a lesson with someone that acts like they actually want you there.

That's all I got. And being here in Hondy I've grown to appreciate a lot our nice roads in the states, our good education systems, and the saftey we enjoy, that we can usually trust our policeman and that we can be outside at 8 o clock at night and not feel too scared. Our country isn't the best but we can at least appreciate what's good. If you don't appreciate what's good, what's the point of having more good that you're just not going to appreciate either right?