NO TIME

Sorry yall no time for an email this week! Just know that I am well and that it has been a great week.

Study the bible! Learn it, love it, treasure it. The Bible is incredible and there is so much to learn from it - for it is the word of God!

Love you all - keep praying for me!

Hermana Miceli :)

Let the Holy Spirit Guide

HOLY COW. This week has been so incredible!!! I will try to start from the beginning. (P.S. I HAVE 7 MONTHS WHAT THAT CANT BE REAL.)

So Tuesday my companion Hermana Salas and I traveled to Cusco - she had transfers and I had to go to pick up my new companion who I would be training. When I got to Cusco I died - OF JOY. MY COMPANION HERMANA WATTLES FROM THE CCM IS ALSO TRAINING AND I SAW HER IN CUSCO AND WE SPENT 3 DAYS TOGETHER. Seriously it was the best ever! I love her so much.

On Wednesday we received our hijas! I couldnt decide if I wanted a Latina or a North American but there were only 2 latinas and 4 North Americans so I figured it would be North American. Mi hija es la Hermana Barfuss! Ella es de Logan, Utah y es lo maximo! Tiene grandes deseos de trabajar y aprender. Su español esta mejorando y ella esta tratando cada dia a aprender mas palabras. It was the best/weirdest/scary feeling finding out who I would be training. Once we found out we had some training and then we were on our own! We had our first opportunity to plan and I realized really quickly just how hard it was going to be to train. I have to remember all over again how to be a missionary and start from the beginning! That night we went contacting in the plaza in Cusco and had some awesome experiences! We met a super cute family from Lima that at the end took a picture with us. Haha, it is the best when people take pictures with us because they get so excited about it.

On Thursday, Hermana Barfuss and I traveled back here to Puerto. My fifth time making the trip between Cusco and Puerto and it was the worst one yet. But not to worry, all is well and I am still alive.

Friday we were at home for a lot of the day! There was a lot to explain to her and we had our first weekly planning session! Then the tears came from mi hija. I could relate exactly to her - my first few days in the mission were so hard! You cant speak spanish, you cant understand anyone or anything, and there is SO much to learn. But she gave me an incredible example of someone who knows where to look FIRST for comfort when she asked for a Priesthood blessing for our zone leaders and then spent most of the night searching the scriptures. She is incredible and I am so grateful for her! She knows that the true source of happiness and comfort comes from our Savior and the fact that she can feel and understand that now will serve her well in her mission.

This week more than anything I learned, really learned, how to recognize and follow the Spirit. Long story short, another week of incredible MIRACLES. I felt the Spirit so strong this week and I know the Lord knew that it was what I needed. I was worried about training and knowing what to do and how to do it, but the Lord helped to receive personal revelation and to be guided by the true teacher, the Spirit! There were people we found this week that my companion and I before could never find. It was amazing. The Spirit is so incredible.

This week my testimony of Joseph Smith was also strengthened a lot. We met with a lady in the street on Saturday night who told us for years she had gone to church but had since left because she didnt understand Joseph Smith and felt like we in the church worship him. We explained about the Restoration and it was an incredible lesson! When we left we could see the relief in her eyes and I was so grateful for how the Spirit was able to guide my words and testify of her. But I still felt a little confused myself and wasnt sure how to explain that we dont worship Joseph Smith - we talk about him a lot because he played a fundamental role in the restoration of the Gospel and we are grateful to him. Well this morning my comp and I were reading the talk from last October conference by Neil L. Andersen titled "Joseph Smith" and it hit me! When we talk of Joseph Smith as a natural reaction we end up talking about the Savior. Everything Joseph Smith did points to the Savior! Everything that any prophet has ever done in history points to the Savior. So with reason we talk about Joseph Smith a lot because it leads us to reflect on Christ and rejoice in His power and His restored gospel. CHRIST IS CENTRAL IN ALL THINGS. And so it should be with our lives! We must put him at the top of all things. He is our Savior and He loves us so much! I felt His love more this week than ever. I know without any doubt in my heart, in my entire being, that CHRIST LIVES. He loves us so much, as does our Heavenly Father. When we accept and follow Him in our lives we are then able to achieve our true potential and become who each of us is designed to be.

I love this Gospel. I love my Savior. I love the Holy Ghost. I am incredibly grateful for Joseph Smith and all that the Savior was able to do through him. I love training. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. And I love all of you with all my heart.

Hermana Miceli. :)

My companion from the CCM Hermana Wattles (flower skirt) with our daughters!

MORE

FIESTA

PIZZA. Plus my branch president and his cute wife and daughter with another on the way!

Our zone leader Elder Cedeño who is finishing his mission!

PICS

Carne Brava!

Someone painted this dogs nails red... Had to have a picture.

Call me Mama

AHHHHH. So today are cambios! I am going to be training a new missionary here in Puerto! AHH WHAT. I still feel like I dont even know what Im doing in the mission, so I feel nervous to have to teach someone else everything! But I am super excited to have MI HIJA!!! I dont know if she will be a latina or a North American, but I am so excited/nervous/a thousand other emotions. My comp Hermana Salas will be going to Cusco to be a Sister Training Leader so I will still get to see her when she comes here to Puerto every change to do divisions.

This week was super fun! There were just a lot of silly moments. Tuesday we went and visited our branch president and his wife - she is pregnant and on bed rest so she gets super lonely and annoyed with her husband. It was the best and they bought us pizza - DELICIOUS pizza that was almost american. Wednesday was normal - we bought a coconut and ate ice cream. :)

On Friday we were with Hermana Vitola and Hermana Arroyo our Sister Leaders from Cusco (my comp will be taking the place of Hermana Vitola) I was with Hermana Arroyo and we went to Triunfo! We had an awesome lesson with one of our investigators Marisol. A few weeks back we had left her with a Book of Mormon but hadnt had the chance to come back and explain it. Well, when we started to explain it she told us that in the weeks that we hadnt been able to visit her she had been reading the BOM. She said she didnt understand much but when she had a question she opened up the Bible and tried to compare them so she could understand. WHAT. Incredible. We got her to pray at the end and it was the most simple, beautiful prayer. I LOVE THIS MISSION THING.

That night we had a fiesta! My comps birthday is at the end of this month but we wanted to celebrate it now while we are still together. So while my comp was still with Hermana Vitola, Hermana Arroyo and I went and bought balloons and streamers to decorate our room. Here in Peru the tradition is that on your birthday they crack eggs over your head and throw cornstarch on you. So as tradition has it we had to comply. BAD IDEA. Our room was a mess and it still smells like eggs. Haha. But it was super fun and definitely a night Ill never forget!

Saturday we went and helped our branch president clean his kitchen and then were treated to a delicious lunch made by his mother in law. Its called Carapulcra con sopa seca. SO GOOD. Carapulcra is a curry type dish made with potatoes and peanuts and then sopa seca is pasta with some special sauce and chicken! Ill have to ask for the recipe because it was delish. Then at night we went to this place called CarneBrava to say goodbye to the missionaries from our zone who are finishing their mission. Another delicious meal - now as I am typing this email I realize that this week I had a lot of delicious food. #cantcomplain. By the way, cow intenstines arent so bad people! Pretty tasty actually. The night ended with chocolate cake and ice cream! It was sad to say good bye to the missionaries leaving, but it was fun to have one last night to celebrate!

I am so happy to be a missionary! This week I just felt really grateful to be able to be here sharing the gospel with these people in Peru, and right now in Puerto. There is a song about missionaries calling Coming Home and there is a line in it that says something about it is beautiful when "nameless faces become my best friends." It is so true! I love this. I love these people. I am so privileged to represent Jesus Christ and to know so many more people that for the rest of my life now will be my family! I hope you all can look for opportunities this week to share the gospel where you are! Look for opportunities to serve. For opportunities to love. And always recognize how privileged we are to know what it feels like to feel our Saviors love! I love you all so much! See you next week with MI HIJA!!!

Hermana Miceli :)

Timing is Everything

Ahhh so no time. I wasnt good at writing this email first this week so it will be short - sorry!

This week was great! It was different because we spent a lot of time in the chapel doing family history! The Johnsons are a senior couple from Cusco that are in charge of family history and came here to Puerto for a week to help the people. So I spent a lot of time with them translating! It was the best - also, I can translate now what.

Tuesday was good! We visited with a member, Hna. Leedo. I mentioned her a while back, she is less active but is slowly coming back. We had a good lesson with her where we talked about the temple and the covenants she has made in the temple and the importance of honoring them daily. It was super good! We had to talk about some touchy subjects and were afraid that she would get offended with what we had to say to her - but the Spirit guided us and it turned out great!

On Thursday we had a super good lesson! We have a couple Manuel and Nancy - Manuel is a less active member but his girlfriend Nancy isnt a member. Long story short they have had tons of problems and have a son with another on the way. We met with them and talked about forgiveness - forgiving ourselves and forgiving others. It was a super great lesson and while they didnt come to church yesterday I have faith that now is their time to progress!

Friday was awesome. So last week we found a family by a miracle (I think I mentioned them but dont remember) that were old investigators but the sisters havent been able to find them in a while. Well we were able to visit with the mom and the daughter and we taught them the Restoration. It was the most powerful lesson filled with the Spirit! They were both soaking it up and at the end when the mom prayed - AHH INCREDIBLE. She prayed so sincerely just asking God to help her know that the Book of Mormon is true. She expressed her desire to learn and prayed with complete sincerity that she can progress on this path that she is now on. Ahhhh so happy! They are a family I can picture in temple white being sealed for time and all eternity! Stay tuned. :) We also had an awesome FHE with a less active family and talked about the Articles of Faith. Yall, the Articles of Faith are SO AMAZING. I know I have said that before but seriously they are incredible and so inspired. STUDY THEM. Love them. Ask to understand them if you dont. They are so short and simple but will strengthen your testimony more than you can imagine.

On Saturday we had three baptisms in the chapel! None of them were our investigators, but none the less it was the best! But, we do have one with a baptismal date! It is a little boy named Sebastian that is set for the 15th. His whole family is members, we were just waiting for his uncle to return from his mission to baptize him.

Yesterday the miracles continued. We have a recent convert (now less active) named Oliver. None of his family members are members of the church and have always been pretty cold to the missionaries. Well about 5 months ago the dad of this family died and since then they have slowly been warming up to listening to the missionaries. They are adventistas! Well, we finally found the mom at home (Her name is Sulema) and she warmly welcomed us in. We had the most incredible lesson with her and just testified that all we are here to do as representatives of Christ is build on the faith that she already has and help her find the one true church on the faith of the earth so that she and her family can receieve ALL of the blessings that the Lord has in store for them. She cried, we cried, she laughed, we laughed, it was just the best and so incredible to see that now really could be her time to be touched by the Spirit. LOVE THIS WORK.

This morning we got up early and went to Serpintario for P-day! Pictures are coming soon, but it was super fun! Basically just a jungle zoo but it was fun none the less. 

I love you all and hope you have had a good week! It was super hot this week here in the jungle and they say it will continue to get hotter - It was in the low 100s all week. But it is the best! I love being a missionary. I have never felt so discouraged, so tired, and so frustrated in my life. But I also have never witnessed so many miracles and felt the love of the Lord so powerfully. Search for him! Forgive others. Do the simple things that will keep you on the path of following the Savior. All He asks is that we love Him and Follow Him.

Until next week!

Hermana Miceli :)