PUERTO MALDONADO

Hey all!

So first off I must start this email in caps... TODAY ARE CAMBIOS AND AFTER BEING IN THE HEART OF CUSCO I AM HEADED TO THE INFERNO JUNGLE OF PUERTO MALDONADO!!!!! So crazy what. My new companion will be Hermana Salas! I dont know her but I think she just finished her training, so I will be the Senior Companion! I cant decide if I feel more terrified or excited. I JUST HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT. AHHHHHH!!! I am sad to leave Cusco and my comp now Hermana Hoskins because we have some INCREDIBLE people on the horizon who are so prepared. But if nothing else, my last week here in Cusco has been the most rewarding week I have had thus far in the mission!

So we have this new investigator Richard. He was a reference from a member in the ward. Well, the first time we met with him last week we already knew he was golden! He was raised in the Catholic church like most people here, but was telling us how he never really believed in the church and didnt like all of the traditions with the saints and all that. He told us he was absolutely ready to change his life and would do what it takes to grow closer to the Savior. MIRACLES PEOPLE. Then the second time we met with him, we taught The Restoration. Before the lesson he had read the entire pamphlet and basically taught us! Then this week we had our third lesson with him - this one being the biggest miracle of all. So before we even started teaching him about The Book of Mormon he asked us if he could share a little bit more about what he had learned about The Restoration - uhhhh of course!!! So before we know it, he then proceeds to recite from memore the first vision... my companion was sitting there crying and I was just so in shock I couldnt take my eyes off of him. This man is so prepared - HE IS INCREDIBLE!!! Then, he came to church yesterday and was commenting in the classes and even said the closing prayer in Elders Quorom. WHAT. I cannot explain it, but this man is a miracle. He told us he already knows that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the true church has been restored to the earth - he even asked us how long he has to wait to be baptized. Wow, this church is so true. I have never known it more in my life than I do now. This mans heart is changing, and we havent even done anything! It has all been the Spirit working through us. So. Incredible.

Then another miracle! We received another reference from a less active lady in the ward. The references name is Monica and had been asking to receive the missionaries for a while - it turns out her husband is a member of the church but works outside of Cusco in Quillabamba a lot so none of the members here really even know who he is. So anyways, we went and had our first lesson with her this week. SHE IS THE CUTEST LADY EVER and has two adorable little boys, one is two and the other is 7 months. She told us that she always asked her husband about the church, but he would never share much with her because he wanted to respect how she had grown up in the Catholic church. She is another person who has been put in our path who is so prepared to accept the Gospel. We ended up teaching her most of the Restoration because she knows a lot about the church already, and at the end she said she was totally ready to do what it takes to be baptized and join her husband in the church. She even asked us if she could be baptized into the church like normal since she was already baptized Catholic. WHAT. So much joy. I cannot explain it, but we are finally seeing the fruits of our labors here in Tullumayo. It is so incredible, and I can in no way deny that the Holy Ghost is who teaches these people and touches their hearts. I feel like I havent even done anything! I have simply been the vessel through which this people can receive the Gospel.

So needless to say, it was an incredible week - the most rewarding I have had yet! I know that as these people continue to prepare themselves the Lord will help them arrive at baptism and how great will be their joy! LOVE THIS WORK SO MUCH!

So in funny news this week...

Yesterday after church my comp and I were standing in the hall waiting for the sacrament meeting of the other ward to end so we could talk to the Elders. Well, as we are waiting this little girl walks past us and proceeds to say with the most terrified look on her face as she points to me, "GRINGA! ES UNA GRINGA!" HAHAHAHHA gringa or gringo is a term they use here for white people, and many times is used slightly offensive. It was so funny and yet so rude. Hahahaha. I wish you all could have seen her face - it was as if she had just seen the biggest most terrifying spider of her life. Ahhhh, gotta love Cusco!

I know that our Savior lives! This is His work that I have the opportunity to take part in, and He moves it along in His time! What I needed to learn from my area here in Cusco is patience. The Lord will do things when it pleases Him and when it is right. I felt like I was having no success here until just this week, but I was also being very impatient. I didnt understand why, if I was working so hard, why the success wasnt coming. I am so grateful for what I have learned here and the amazing people I have met. I am so grateful for each of them and know that all of the experiences I have had here are ones I will never forget.

I hope you all have an incredible week! Read the Articles of Faith when you have time - I studied them this week and realized just how incredible and inspired from God they really are. 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK IN THE JUNGLE!

Hermana Miceli :)

PUERTO MALDONADO

Hey all!

So first off I must start this email in caps... TODAY ARE CAMBIOS AND AFTER BEING IN THE HEART OF CUSCO I AM HEADED TO THE INFERNO JUNGLE OF PUERTO MALDONADO!!!!! So crazy what. My new companion will be Hermana Salas! I dont know her but I think she just finished her training, so I will be the Senior Companion! I cant decide if I feel more terrified or excited. I JUST HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT. AHHHHHH!!! I am sad to leave Cusco and my comp now Hermana Hoskins because we have some INCREDIBLE people on the horizon who are so prepared. But if nothing else, my last week here in Cusco has been the most rewarding week I have had thus far in the mission!

So we have this new investigator Richard. He was a reference from a member in the ward. Well, the first time we met with him last week we already knew he was golden! He was raised in the Catholic church like most people here, but was telling us how he never really believed in the church and didnt like all of the traditions with the saints and all that. He told us he was absolutely ready to change his life and would do what it takes to grow closer to the Savior. MIRACLES PEOPLE. Then the second time we met with him, we taught The Restoration. Before the lesson he had read the entire pamphlet and basically taught us! Then this week we had our third lesson with him - this one being the biggest miracle of all. So before we even started teaching him about The Book of Mormon he asked us if he could share a little bit more about what he had learned about The Restoration - uhhhh of course!!! So before we know it, he then proceeds to recite from memore the first vision... my companion was sitting there crying and I was just so in shock I couldnt take my eyes off of him. This man is so prepared - HE IS INCREDIBLE!!! Then, he came to church yesterday and was commenting in the classes and even said the closing prayer in Elders Quorom. WHAT. I cannot explain it, but this man is a miracle. He told us he already knows that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the true church has been restored to the earth - he even asked us how long he has to wait to be baptized. Wow, this church is so true. I have never known it more in my life than I do now. This mans heart is changing, and we havent even done anything! It has all been the Spirit working through us. So. Incredible.

Then another miracle! We received another reference from a less active lady in the ward. The references name is Monica and had been asking to receive the missionaries for a while - it turns out her husband is a member of the church but works outside of Cusco in Quillabamba a lot so none of the members here really even know who he is. So anyways, we went and had our first lesson with her this week. SHE IS THE CUTEST LADY EVER and has two adorable little boys, one is two and the other is 7 months. She told us that she always asked her husband about the church, but he would never share much with her because he wanted to respect how she had grown up in the Catholic church. She is another person who has been put in our path who is so prepared to accept the Gospel. We ended up teaching her most of the Restoration because she knows a lot about the church already, and at the end she said she was totally ready to do what it takes to be baptized and join her husband in the church. She even asked us if she could be baptized into the church like normal since she was already baptized Catholic. WHAT. So much joy. I cannot explain it, but we are finally seeing the fruits of our labors here in Tullumayo. It is so incredible, and I can in no way deny that the Holy Ghost is who teaches these people and touches their hearts. I feel like I havent even done anything! I have simply been the vessel through which this people can receive the Gospel.

So needless to say, it was an incredible week - the most rewarding I have had yet! I know that as these people continue to prepare themselves the Lord will help them arrive at baptism and how great will be their joy! LOVE THIS WORK SO MUCH!

So in funny news this week...

Yesterday after church my comp and I were standing in the hall waiting for the sacrament meeting of the other ward to end so we could talk to the Elders. Well, as we are waiting this little girl walks past us and proceeds to say with the most terrified look on her face as she points to me, "GRINGA! ES UNA GRINGA!" HAHAHAHHA gringa or gringo is a term they use here for white people, and many times is used slightly offensive. It was so funny and yet so rude. Hahahaha. I wish you all could have seen her face - it was as if she had just seen the biggest most terrifying spider of her life. Ahhhh, gotta love Cusco!

I know that our Savior lives! This is His work that I have the opportunity to take part in, and He moves it along in His time! What I needed to learn from my area here in Cusco is patience. The Lord will do things when it pleases Him and when it is right. I felt like I was having no success here until just this week, but I was also being very impatient. I didnt understand why, if I was working so hard, why the success wasnt coming. I am so grateful for what I have learned here and the amazing people I have met. I am so grateful for each of them and know that all of the experiences I have had here are ones I will never forget.

I hope you all have an incredible week! Read the Articles of Faith when you have time - I studied them this week and realized just how incredible and inspired from God they really are. 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK IN THE JUNGLE!

Hermana Miceli :)

TRUJILLO

Hola! Wow what a week. I  may or may not have written in my journal all week so this will be rough to remember all that happened...

Tuesday was a normal day! I have been struggling with my stomach, #normalweareinPeru so the work was slow! But that night we had the cool opportunity to teach a Book of Mormon class for the senior missionary couple who was out of town. We taught Jacob 5 about the allegory of the tame and wild olive tree. It was awesome but SO HARD to teach in english. #neverEVERthoughtIwouldsaythat

Wednesday we didnt do much because my comp had been throwing up all night the night before and I was still dying so we sat inside and studied a lot and watched mormon messages. I literally think I have seen every mormon message ever at least 5 times.

Thursday was good! We had weekly planning like normal which as hard as I try I am convinced it will always be torturous. #rough.

Friday was a suuuuppper slow day. We only had two appointments in the morning and then no one because it was the Festival of Dances here in Cusco for the school so nobody was home and everyone was in the street. It was crazy! The whole month of June is crazy here leading up to this Wednesday, the 24th, which is essentially the independence day of Cusco. They have this huge celebration in Sacsayhuaman where they sacrifice a llama and do a bunch of crazy stuff. If we get permission we can go watch! So anyways, no one was home on Friday. But in the afternoon we had interviews with President! He did it different this time and came to our house... that was interesting. And weird. But it was good! I talked with his wife Hermana Harbertson and she thinks I have a parasite. YAY it is totally normal here so I will go to the doctor tomorrow and get it taken care of.

Saturday was a different day! We worked all day at this even called the Feria of Huancaro here in Cusco. We worked with the Regional Archives here in Cusco and talked about Family History. It was fun and we contacted TONS of people! I also got a sweet tan so theres that. Then after we went and watched the cultural celebration for the dedication of the temple in Trujillo! It was super cute and one of our investigators Pilar who has never visited the church CAME WITH HER KIDS. We were sooo happy. I cant explain all of her story, but a miracle people, a true miracle!

Then on Sunday we were in the chapel all day. We got to watch all three sessions of the temple dedication in Trujillo. It was done by President Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar. It was THE BEST. So incredible to see how the work of the gospel has progressed here in Peru. You all should go look up the dedicatory prayer and the talks. LO MAXIMO.

So all in all we didnt have very much work time this week for appointments and what not but we were able to get a lot done! It was such spiritual weekend with the temple dedication and an awesome time to rest if you will and realy focus on the Lord and how He is moving His work forward throughout the world.

SO SUPER FUNNY side story to end. I have a book that I have given to a couple of members to write in so that I can remember them because next monday are changes and I could go. Well, there is this recent convert Jeorgina (cutest lady ever) and I gave her my book to write in. Well, while we were in her house right before the lesson I glanced at it and it said "Para ti Hermana Nicholls" HAHA what. Elder Nicholls is my old zone leader who just finished his mission last change. So hard not to resist dying in the moment, but of course I didnt say anything because I didnt want her to feel bad. Ahhhhh Peru, I will never forget you and your crazy people.

I hope you all had a great week! You all should read Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon again this week! It is an incredible chapter and an incredible example of the Lords love for his children! Les amo mucho!

Hermana Miceli :)

Pic: Last night we had dinner with the Rhoades, a senior couple who teaches English and self sufficiency here in Cusco. They are the best! Also that cute family are members.

Just call me a mountain climber!

Hola todos!!

Espero que todo este bien con cada uno de ustedes y que ustedes han tenido una semana fantastica!

This week was SUPER hard for me and my comp here. I dont know why, but we felt like we failed EVERY DAY. We had more set appointments this week than we have ever had, but every day they all fell through! We were only able to visit with one investigator, and couldnt get ahold of anyone all week. ROUGH to say the least, but it happens in the mission. It was soooo frustrating but I learned a good lesson about patience. The investigator family that we have seems to keep going downhill and we dont know what to do with them. They arent coming to church anymore, we havent had an actual lesson with them in about 2 weeks, and we havent been able to get ahold of them. It is hard not to wonder where I am going wrong as a missionary whenever things dont go how I plan or how I want them to. But thanks to my awesome zone leader, Elder Day, I was reminded that IT IS OKAY. We all have our sphere of influence - the circle of things that we have control over in our lives. As a missionary, I have to learn to focus myself on my sphere of influence and letting go of the rest. It is frustrating because really there is so little we can actually control in comparison to what we would like. But the Lord knows all! He is aware of our situation right now, and He is helping us, even if it is only in the small things. While I was more than ready for this week to be over, I am grateful for all of the things that happened. My companion and I grew closer together and we learned to rely more on the Lord to know really what it is that He would have us do.

So this morning for P-day, as a zone we went to this place WAAAAYYYY above Cusco called Balcon del Diablo, or The Devils Balcony. SO CRAZY WHAT. For almost two straight hours we hiked through a river and rock climbed without the equipment. It was crazy but sooo much fun and sooo pretty! I am so lucky to be in such a culturally rich place. We also had this dog that latched onto us from the beginning and walked with us all the way to the top! We named him Rafael, and while none of us can take him home, he was a good friend for a day. 

Well, I hope each of you have a good week! I am confident that this week will be better with the work here! ON A HIGH NOTE, this weekend we get to watch the dedication of the temple here in Trujillo Peru! So excited for that. And then on Monday we will have a visit from a member of the FIRST PRESIDENCY of the church! 

I love you all and am so grateful always for your support and love!

Hermana Miceli :)