Miraflores- The Apartment

So, the assistents came to pick us up and take us to our new apartment. I wasn't quite sure what to expect because it took them so long to find one. I was pretty speechless when we walked into our apartment. All it was, was a bedroom, a closet, and a bathroom! And the bedroom could only fit a bunkbed and a chair!! Where was I?? So we began unpacking our things and then decided to go out and check out our area. All we had was a map and the phone numbers of only a couple of church members. So we went out and met some of the church members so we could get to know them and ask them for help. I was still pretty lost through those first couple of weeks but I was pretty content to just walk around and learn.

                                                 Hermana Camacho in our tiny apartment

                                                   The Assistants were always helping us!

My area, Miraflores, was a difficult area. There were two parts to my area... San Isidro and Surquillo. San Isidro was mostly tall apartment buildings and skyscrapers. Surquillo was more of a town with people always in the streets. We spent most of our time there. Hermana Camacho and I had a pretty good time finding people to teach and help.
I remember this one time we were out tracking. As we were walking down the sidewalk we hear "Senoritas! Senoritas!" We stopped and turned around and saw a man running towards us. When he got to us he started talking very quickly in spanish... and I didn't understand anything. He then started to point at my feet. So I had a thought. I thought that maybe this man was a shoemaker and wanted to trace my foot to make more shoes. Ridiculous right?! Haha... so I took off my shoe and when I did this man dropped to his knees and started to sniff my feet!!! I was freaking out!! I pulled my foot away really fast. The man got up, said he was sorry and ran away. It was hilarious and super weird!! Stuff like that was always happening around Peru. you never knew what was going to happen. Never a dull moment and I loved it!

Firsts... Day, Companion, Area

So after we left the CCM we went to the mission offices to get a little more training about the mission and what would be happening later that day. We met the mission president and his wife and took pictures with them. Then they gave us all sorts of instructions and books and advice. It was cool. We then got on a bus and headed to a chapel where transfers would be held. They kept us in a big room in the back for a little while... and then they said everything was ready. I didn't know what to expect.. but as we walked into the chapel and the entire mission was waiting for us! They were all standing up and singing 'Called to Serve' in the spanish and walked through and sat up on the stand. It was an amazing feeling! Wow.. I had never seen so many missionaries at once! They finished singing and everyone sat down. We had a prayer, a spiritual thought, announcements, a small lesson from President and Sister Tyler and then President Tyler did the transfers. This is the moment that we would receive our trainers! I was so nervous! So he called us up one by one and introduced us to the mission. He said it all in spanish so I don't know what he was even saying about me! Haha.. but it was still cool. After he introduced us, he started announcing the transfers around the mission. I was almost one of the last ones to receive a companion and I was still so nervous!! Then he finally called out my name and said that Hermana Camacho would be my trainer AND we would be opening a new area in Miraflores! What?! I was told that we were moving the lines of the mission because they added a new mission in Lima and Cuzco which meant that my new area would be in a zone that would be added to my mission from the Lima South mission.

Hermana Camacho and I

After transfers, we said goodbye to all of our friends and got ready to leave to go to our apartments. I really didn't know what was going on so I just kinda stood back while my companion talked to people to figure things out. Well, we were waiting for about 20 minutes and were almost the last missionaries to leave. I was a little confused by this. Then someone tells me that we didn't have an apartment! Whaaaaaaaat! Evidently our new zone leaders (perviously part of the Lima South mission) forgot to get us an apartment in our area. So we were told to go to another area and stay the night with some other sisters from the mission. So the assistents took us to the temporary area and told us it would just be for a couple of days.

Hermana Gardener and I

Well, a couple of days turned into a week because they were having a hard time finding an apartment for us. So we just stayed and taught lessons and did splits with the sisters we were staying with, Hermana Gardener and Hermana Bonilla. it was a fun and unique first week for sure. I saw so many things that I didn't inderstand and I had so many questions and I knew such little spanish! It was so difficult but I was loving every minute of it.

 

A tiny banana!

This week we had away from our area was actually really cool because I was able to practice a lot of the lessons. I remember one time we were going to teach a little boy about the church. He was about 12 years old. When we got to his house my companion told me that we were going to teach him about prophets and the Restoration and the story of Joseph Smith. She then told me that I would be teaching about Joseph Smith. I looked at her like she was crazy! Surely she couldn't be serious... I didn't know any spanish! But she told me to do the best I could. So I did. I started telling about Joseph Smith and his life.. but I was really struggling... I didn't know the words! I finally said all that I knew and decided to just bear my testimony or talk about the things I knew were true. I finished and looked at my companion and she gave me a nod of approval. Later, after we left, my companion was staring at me weird and I didn't know why. The other American sister, Hermana Gardener, told me that it was because of my spanish. I was confused and wondered if I had said something wrong. She said that I didn't way anything wrong. She said that as I was explaining the story of Joseph Smith I was struggling to get the words out but the moment I began to bear my testimony I started speaking perfect spanish. Wow.. I knew that I would not have been able to do that alone and knew that God had helped me in that moment. So cool! A couple of days after that we were finally able to move into our new apartment and area and I was so excited!!

CCM- Lima, Peru

So after my 3 weeks in the Provo MTC, I hopped on a plane with 20 other sisters and elders and headed for Lima. We were so nervous!! But very excited! We travelled all day stopping only in Atlanta. I had a really cool experience on the plane. I sat across from an elder, Elder Mendoza, who would be in my mission and was able to meet him and talk to him. I also got to sit next to a native of Peru!! He was living in Miami but was flying home to visit his family. He spoke english very well and told me all about Peru. He helped me with my spanish and then we were able to have a gospel conversation! It was so cool. We talked about the church and the organization of it! It was my first real lesson as a missionary! When we landed in Peru I gave him a pass along card and said goodbye... it was so cool! We got to Lima around 2am. Oh my goodness.... we were all so confused when we got there! No of us knew spanish and we didn't know where to go! Haha.. it was quite the experience. We then found the people you were going to take us to the CCM. We loaded up the suitcases and then we were off! It was so crazy to be driving around in another country! I was in shocked. The drive was about 45 minutes long and I saw all sorts of things. The houses looked so weird. They had fences and gates all around them and looked very closed off from everything! Then I saw a little kid in the street trying to sell candy to people in the street! I didn't even know what to think. We got to the CCM and some elders helped us get our stuff inside. We were told that we could sleep in until 9am since we had gotten in so late. I remember getting to my room and passing out. I knew there were other sisters in the room but that was all I knew. I was woken up the next morning by somebody speaking really fast spanish over an intercom... I had no idea what he was saying!! Then 3 latin sisters walk into the room and give me a kiss on the cheek! What is going on?! So I got up and got dressed and found the other missionaries... and our training in the CCM began. It was very similar to the MTC except everything was in spanish! None of the teachers even knew english... so we were kinda on our own! Haha.. but it actually helped us learned spanish faster! We had such a great time in the CCM. We had two companions each... an american and latin companion and we did different classes and exercises with each of them. Also, we were introduced to Peruvian food in the CCM. Everyday for lunch we got to have a new Peruvian food. Very cool. On preparation day we went to the temple like normal, had a chance to go shopping, do laundry, sleep, and write letters. Also, on Saturdays we would actually leave the CCM and go out and work like real missionaries. We would visit less active members and talk to people in the street. It was so amazing to do real missionary work! I was in the CCM for 6 weeks and then I could finally enter the mission field!! While I loved my time in the CCM I was very excited to get out and start working in the field! Our last day in the CCM we said goodbye to our friends and got picked up by our mission presidents and the assistents to the president... and we were finally off... ready to enter the Central Lima Peru Mission!!

Latin District in the CCM

Going out to teach on a Saturday

MTC- Provo

As I entered the MTC, I was in a state of complete shock! Haha... I was just dropped of at the front door by my parents and I didn't know what to expect. I walked into the MTC and saw hundreds of missionaries! They were everywhere! It was cool because I got to see my childhood friend from Burely, Spencer Peterson, as we were walking in. That helped me calm down a little. I had 2 sister missionaries escort me to my room to drop off my suitcases. Then they took me down to a classroom to wait and meet the rest of my district. I was super shy when I walked in. There were a couple of Elders in there but we really didn't say much to each other. All of the district arrived and I was very excited to get to know everyone. We had several great elders and sisters and we were anxious to work!

Left to Right: E. Hash, E. Lyons, E. Steele, S. Schlegel, S. Kakuschke, Me, E. Williams, S. Legg,

E. Greenwood, E. Cannon, E. Hawke, E. Hanks

The first day in the MTC I found out that I would be leaving in 3 weeks to go to the MTC in Peru. I was a little shocked by that but very excited to get to Peru! The schedule in the MTC was pretty intense. We would start the morning with breakfast and then have our personal and companionship study. That was always really cool... to start studying the lessons and figuring out how we would be teaching them. We would then have hours of class time with our teachers. They would teach us spanish grammar and also how to teach.. in english and in spanish. We would then go to lunch and have more study time and classes. Preparation day was really fun in the MTC. We would usually go to the temple in the morning and then spend the day writing letters, cleaing, laundry, and spending time outside. We also had devotionals every Tuesday night. I had the great opportunity to hear Elder Holland speak in person. His talk was so good and I learned so much. I will always remember my experience in the MTC and all the wonderful times I had there.

"Swing me like a little kid!"

Silly zone picture in front of the temple

 

Last day in the MTC

I'm Going on a Mission

Well, I decided to go on a mission around November 2009. It was something that I had been contemplating, praying, and fasting about for almost 8 months. I wasn't sure if it was the right time yet ot if I should wait. But around November 2009 I received my answer... I knew I needed to go on a mission. After I had decided, everything just seemed to fall into place. The Univeristy of Arkansas agreed to hold my scholarhsip, I was at a good stopping point at school and I was getting ready to turn 21 in January. I met with my bishop and we filled out all the paper work. I got doctor appointments done and my finances in order and then submitted my papers to Salt Lake City, Utah. Then the wait was on. I had to wait about 3-4 weeks to get a big white envelope in the mail telling me where I would be serving the Lord for the next 18 months of my life.

I received my big white envelope on January 2, 2010. I remember I was running out to the mailbox to see if it was there and my little dog, Noah, bit me on the leg!! Ouch! The moment I got the mailbox I was filled with emotion.. anxious to rip it open and see what it said inside. But I wanted my family to be there. So I ran back inside and we got ready and headed to Tulsa to meet my Dad and older brother, Jordon, so we could open it together. I was so emotional.. and yet so excited! I remember opening it up and reading the letter. I could hardly believe it when I read that I would be serving an 18 month mission in Lima, Peru speaking spanish!! I was floored! Never in a million years did I think I would be leaving the US to teach the people of Peru the gospel of Jesus Christ. We were all so happy! My older brother, Jordon, had served his mission in Boston, MA and spoke spanish. My little brother, Jake, was already in Quito, Ecuador serving a 2 year mission. I was so excited to be joining him! I wasn't scheduled to leave until April 28, 2010... so I had about 4 months to get everything ready! The race was on! Since I wasn't going to be leaving super soon... I decided to take one more semester and the UofA... the was THE craziest semester of my entire life! I went throughout the semester taking mission prep, going home on weekends to get stuff ready, and trying to pass all my classes. My teachers were so amazing about it all. The last day of classes was April 28, 2010... the day I entered the MTC... which meant that finals would be held for about 2 weeks AFTER that.. well, I talked to all my teachers and asked if they would be willing to let me take their finals early. Every single one of them was fine with that... amazing!! One of my teachers (who I had for 2 classes) didn't even make me take the finals! She said I just needed to write out a summary of the chapters and that would suffice.. she said that I was doing a good thing! WOW! I was amazed at how supportive all of my teachers and friends were. I knew leaving Fayetteville, my friends, and my family was going to be very hard but I knew I needed to do it. I was just so grateful that I had so many people supporting me!

So I said goodbye to Arkansas, the UofA, Oklahoma, my friends, and my wonderful family and made my way to Provo, Utah, where I would be entering the Missionary Training Center for 9 weeks. We left a couple of days early so I could see my grandparents, aunt, and cousin. Then on Wednesday April 28, 2010 at 2pm I entered the MTC and started an adventure that literally changed my life forever.

MTC- April 28, 2010

For My Future

So, I have been home from my misson almost 10 months now... it's almost hard to believe. I have so many memories, stories, and pictures that I never want to forget. I have been planning to scrapbook my mission but I am so busy with school and work it has been hard to pull out the paper and glue and actually get started. So today I had a thought.. why don't I start a blog! I really want my friends, family, and espeically my future children to know what I did in Peru and also what I am doing now... I want them to have that geneology. So this blog will be more of a history of my life... stories, memories, details, and pictures. Something my kids can show to their kids for generations to come. Because let's face it.. our society is a society of technology adn this will be the easiest way future generations can know about me and hopefully the legacy I am building. Over the next days and weeks I will be writing and posting about my mission and all of the wonderful experiences I had while I was in Peru. Here we go!!