#18 Rust Beef

SO one morning, this week, Hna Gonzalez woke up and the first thing she said to me was "You know, I've been thinking, and your name sounds a lot like Roast Beef. Rust Beef." And then she chuckled to herself, said "Rust Beef" a couple more times, and then knelt down and started saying her prayer. Rust Beef.

Ok so can we just talk about how good Women's Conference was?? I only got to listen to the last couple talks because the thing wasn't working, but holy cow those last two talks, Hna McKonkie and Pres. Uctdorf, like holy cow. Super great. One thing I really liked that McKonkie said was "We have each other, we are in this together" Because when I heard that, it was just four of us missionaries together in a little room watching the session in English, and I just thought, yeah, we do have each other, and I know that with these girls, I can do this. So yeah kinda a powerful moment for me. And then another part I liked from Pres. Uchtdorf was, well his whole talk. But he said, or rather Rose said, " Forever is composed of now's" and we have the choice of how our "nows" are going to be. And that really stuck out to me as well. In the mission, its really easy to start thinking, well once Gaby is baptized, my mission will have worth, or once this transfer is over, I'll finally be happy. But then if I think like that, how is my eternity going to look. Kinda dreary right? Now Forever is composed of nows. And I can make my nows however I want! I got the power! So yeah those are my insights concerning that.

 

Ok so some big news, this week we finally committed a couple to get married! They are Gaby and Victor. Gaby isn't a member, and Victor is less active. They have a little boy named Aaron and he is the chunkiest thing you've ever seen I promise. But I don't have a picture so, take my word for it. But yeah they've been receiving the lessons for something like four years and now they have a wedding date and on that same day, Gaby is going to be baptized! I know its a lot for one day, but that's what she wanted! So October 18 we'll be marrying and baptizing and partying. I've never been to a Peruvian wedding.... so that'll be interesting. 

Lets see what else happened... Our ward has a ton of faith in us... they set goals to have 12 rescues this month and 8 baptisms. So Gonzo and I have our work cut out for us... October is gonna be craaaazy! I think that's all that happened this week. I'm doing well, I'm basically healthy ( I just cut my foot on a chair and now I'm spewing blood.) and I'm happy. So clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. Unfortunately that song is allowed in our mission. I hear it all the time. 

Yeah well love you all and enjoy conference! I'll be watching right there with ya, only a couple thousand miles away! Yay for prophets! 

Con amor, 

Rust Beef. 

This is the son of our pension. He was a gorilla for a big dance festival that they had here. His name is Edu. 

Me in my cute raincoat. with my cute umbrella. In the cute rain. Hna Gonzalez and I are cute. 

#17 Prone to wander....

I don't really know why, but that like "Prone to wander" has been in my mind as of late. Which is weird, because I don't feel like I am wandering, or lost, but I feel like this kinda applies to my life. I guess what I want to say is that we all are kinda prone to wander. But if we come unto Christ, we can find the way. This was just a totally random thought I had right now. Hope you enjoyed it.

So today is transfers and I am not leaving my beloved Puno yet! And for that I am soooooo happy. I was so worried I was going to leave. And I'm sticking with my momma, my trainer for another cambio! Whooop! And sadly, that is all I have to report. 

For those who are keeping up with my rabies and all, I only have one more injection left and then I'm rabies free! 

I'm sorry for the lame letter, but I just have no time left! Next week will be better, I promise! 

Love you all and keep trusting in Heavenly Father! He knows what's up. 

Con Amor ,

Hermana Rust! 

#16 Floating Islands... and stuff!

Before we get rolling, I gotta give a special shoutout to my main Overton second ward family and RM de mision Cusco! The family is the Noto family! I hope they read this on facebook... But they are so great they sent me a package with a bunch of little treats and cute little quotes to go with them and it was just kinda the best day ever!!! And they sent me a Big Hunk which is probably my favorite candy ever so thanks so much for that!!! Love you Notos! Also Alyssa Ramos is kinda the sweetest girl out there. She's been sending my packages throughout my mission and they have been super sweet and I just love her! I love you Alyssa!! So yeah, special shoutouts.

So you know those floating Islands in lake Titicaca made only out of reeds? Yeah, totes went to those this past week. And they are even more legit than you think. Because they are literally just piles of reeds! That people live on! Like what? And they are bouncy!! So they are living their lives literally on a trampoline... all day. I am eternally jealous and a little bit grateful that that isn't my life... I'm torn. (nothings fine I'm torn. That's for Beebz and Ansley.) So yeah we went to do service and the service is picking up the houses... and moving them. Like we literally picked up the houses... and moved them. So that was something knew. I've never picked up a house before, and let me tell you, its not easy. And with one of them, we had to put the house on two boats and sail it to the other side of the island. One of the elders fell in the water. It was a good day. I'll send pics. 

Also this week, we had our interviews with President and Sister Harbertson. Holy Hannah Montana I love them. Like it was such a cool experience and they both talked to me about the things that I needed and gave me great advice. I love them so much!!! So cool.

Well I'm running short on time and I still want to send pictures so we're gonna end here. I love you all, the Church is true, and Heavenly Father loves us! How great do we have it?! hope all is well and the next time you hear from me, I will be officially done with training and I will be a real life missionary!!! 

Holla at your Hermana! Love you all!

Hermana Rust

selfie with floating islands. #basicwhitegirl

Floating islands and Hna G's camera 

I look bald, but tha'ts me, Hna McMahon, and Hna Baker. We're eating on a island made out of reeds! Who can even say that! Oh wait. I can. 

Once again bald.... but Hna Gonzalez, Hna Mendez, y yo!! Also on the islands. 

And finish off, that's a giant puma that we hiked too last week... its like the condor, just suuuuper cooooler!   

#15 The Tenth Day

So I didn't find the dog. My tenth day to find the little booger was Friday, and we had no such luck. So I started rabies treatment today!! Whooo!

 Everyone told me that the shots would be in doses of like 12 shots and in the stomach and that I was going to die. But everyone was wrong!!! Its 5 shots, in the arm, spread out through the course of 2 ish weeks. But it was kinda a huge hassle getting the shots. Because technically, I was supposed to start on Friday. So that night we went to the hospital to start, but the doctors just kinda yelled at us for not getting treatment earlier and told us that the rabies department of the hospital was closed and that we'd have to come back tomorrow. Then we went back Saturday, the 11th day, to start treatment, and we got the same lecture and then they told us that they wouldn't have the treatment there until Monday. And then our Zone leader called us Sunday morning and told us we'd have to go to Juliaca and find a hospital that has the vaccination si o si. Then we ended up not going to Juliaca Sunday and this morning I was injected and now I have four more and I should be rabies free. If I start foaming out the mouth and I don't know, wolverine out, then we've got a problem. But I think all is well.

So this week was all about less actives and members from the "otro lado" from our ward. Which was super great! Having a big new ward is intimidating but I'm glad I have the opportunity to meet new people and get help from the new members of our ward. I feel like its going to be a lot stronger with a lot more support for the missionary work. And a lot bigger.

 It was cool getting to know all of our less actives and helping them out a little. There is one that is particularly close to my heart. Her name is Angela. And I love her to pieces. She was baptized something like 15 years ago and has been basically less active ever since. But she's got a super great heart and a huge capacity to learn. We hit it off with her from the get go and we've basically been friends ever since. She's about 34 ish years old. We've been really focusing on befriending her because the relationship she had with the missionaries before wasn't the best. When she was baptized, they basically didn't teach her anything and then baptized her and then left her. And we don't want to do the same. So I've been helping her out with English and we've done service a couple times at her house because they´re rebuilding. We've taught her a couple times and she always completes her commitments. And I just love her

. It's knew for me to just love someone and want to be friends with them regardless that they are 10+ years older than me and I can only understand what they are saying about half the time. I've never been able to love so easily, and have that love be reciprocated. Because I know she loves me too. And one thing I am working on is to feel that same, unconditional love for all our other investigators and less active and recent converts and active members. Because one thing that has been drilled into my brain since being here is that love really is the key. If I don't love them, I literally can't do anything for them. I might be able to teach them something, but it wont do me any good if I don't let love be my motivation. 

It's amazing how the mission does this to you. gives you this great capacity to love. And for that I am so grateful. I think that might have been one of my weapons of rebellion before, not wanting to love the people. Especially when I first got to Puno. But I feel a change in my heart. And I know its the work of the Lord. Love really is the key. Love is all you need. The Beatles.

 Well my challenge for you all is just to grow your capacity to love. Because its possible. And if we work on it, before long, you´re passing people on the street and just thinking, wow. I love them. And that i s a beautiful thing. I love you all! Keep sharing the gospel and doing the will of the Lord! And remember, love is all you need.See ya next week! Love you all!!!!!Hermana Rust 

#14

I have yet to recieve my camera from Juliaca so it will be another pictureless week... Sorrrrrrry!

Ok so I know my emails have been less than stellar these past couple weeks so I'm going to make up for it with two killer stories. Listo? Lets go.

 

Story number one. We were sitting on the side of the street that borders Lake Titicaca, visiting an Hermana named Braulia. She is a super cute old lady and she doesn't know how to read so we started teaching her.... Wednesday I believe. She has a little store she runs (Actually not a store. More like a little wagon she keeps under this make shift tent she uses as shelter from the sun) and this is where we teach her at. Hermana Gonzalez made this cute little book for her to practice writing and everything so she was doing that when a guy came over to buy something. And in the process of this, a bottle fell. About... 6 or 7 feet away from where I was sitting, a dog was just chilling there and minding its own business. After the bottle fell, I went to go get it and return it to the wagon. So i get up, take about.. 2 and a half steps, and all the sudden I feel teeth in my ankle. I looked down, and there was a dog clamped onto me. Imagine my surprise. I screamed, kicked, and ran. It didn't hold on or anything, but after it happened, all, I could think about was the discussion we had about dogs in the mission home when I first got to Cuzco. And two words stuck in my mind. Rabies and shots. Yeah so I was bitten by a potentially rabid dog. Fun right! And everyone I talked to was like "Hermana's NEVER get bitten! I have never heard of an Hermana getting bitten!" I mean lucky me right? So I may or may not have rabies right now as we speak. I have to wait 10 days from the incident (So Friday) to find the dog and see if it's dead or not. If it's dead, that means I have rabies and need treatment. Which sounds horrible. If we find it alive, I'm good. Rabies free. The only problem is that I cannot remember for the life of me what the dang thing looked like. So if I can't find it at all, treatment it is.

 Alright so same story same day, about 30ish minutes later. We all know how the drunks love me and I have way more stories about encounters with drunks than I care to count, but this one was just so gosh darn funny! So yeah like a half hour after the whole dog thing, we were walking back to our house to call our district leader and tell him the whole terrible story. I was a little hysterical still, thinking about shots and all, when a seriously drunk man walks up to us and starts talking to Hna Gonzalez about me. Where's she from, what's her name, where's she going, all sorts of stuff he asked. She told him I was from Cajamarca (are there white people in Cajamarca? because this is always her go to city...) and that I was mute. To this he responded that it didn't matter whether or not I could talk, he still loved me just the way I was. After this, he gets down on one knee and starts reciting poetry to me in Spanish with hand motions and all the theatrics. So I had myself a learned drunk. That was new. After his proclamations of love, he stands back up, digs out his wallet and hands me 50 SOLES! Ha but get this, they were fake. So 50 false soles is what I am worth apparently. I think I'm worth a little bit more.... Any ways he hands me the counterfeit money, looks at Hna. Gonzalez's tag, reads "Jesu Cristo" and turns to me, talking to Hna Gonzalez, and says "I love her more than Jesus does." And then he walked away. And that was that And I was left with his generous donation of 50 soles. This is by far my favorite encounter with drunks. And I will keep that 50 soles my whole life. Its taped to my wall right now. 

Story number 2

WE HAD A BAPTISM!!! Ok I kept the details of this one private because last time I talked to you guys about our two baptisms, they both fell through. Not that I'm superstitious. Just a little stitious. But yeah now I will freely spill the details. Her name is Maxi, I believe I've talked about her once before... not sure. Anyways. She's 17 and her older sister Miriam is a recent convert. We've been working with the other sister Carmen to baptize her because she's of age. But Carmen left for... somewhere so we've been working with Maxi, regardless that she didn't have permission from her parents yet to be baptized. Well like 2 ish weeks ago, we met with her parents, and the agreed and signed the papers and it was just a joyous little reunion and then this past Saturday, Maxi was Baptized!!! My first baptism!!

 But it did not go off without a hitch. I teach an English class on Saturdays at 4 and Maxi's baptism was scheduled for 5. So we told her to meet us there at 4 for the English class and while I taught, Hna G was going to help Maxi get all situated and everything. So we get to the chapel at like 3:45, and wait. And wait. 4:30 passes, and no Maxi to be found. then its 5. Still no Maxi. then 5:30. And still no. Meanwhile we have people showing up for a baptism that doesn't look like its going to happen, and Hna Gonzalez and I are frantic because we can't even call her because she doesn't have a phone. So we call her cousin Silvia, who has been a member for about 2 years. And Silvia tells us that Maxi doesn't want to come, and then hangs up. I've never felt my heart break... harder. We were so sure that she was going to come because we saw her the night before and she was super excited and everyone was excited and we just could not believe that this was happening! Hna G is crying, I'm on the verge of tears, and we have no Idea what to do. Elder Flores comes up to us and asks us what happened and we explained and he told us to call again. So we did. This time Miriam answers and tells us that she and Maxi and Silvia and Veronica (another cousin) are on their way right now and not to worry, and then that very second, they all jump out of a bus right in front of the chapel and maxi is with them all ready to go! Yeah turns out it was a horribly cruel trick that Silvia decided to tell us for who knows why and I'm still a little ticked at it because WHO DOES THAT!! But it doesn't matter because Maxi came, I gave a talk and sang, most of the people that we asked came, and MAXI WAS BAPTIZED!!! It was super cool to see someone that I had been working with and thought we'd never have the chance to baptize her go down into the water with Elder Bodily and make that sacred covenant with Heavenly Father. And the best part was that I knew she knew what she was doing. That she was doing it for herself, not for us, not for her sisters or her cousins, but because she had a testimony for herself. So yeah, super cool. By far the coolest moment I've had on my mission. 

So yeah these are my stories to make up for my lameness for the past couple weeks. And I'm just about out of time. I know the Church is true and I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, and that He lives.

Hope everyone is doing well and stuff! Love you all! 

Hermana Rust

#13 Lame email... I´m sorry!

So I have approx. 4 minutes to write this so we´re gonna be brief.

 Update. We had a special conference with our ward and another ward that lost their sister missionaries and now we´re one ward! Our wards were combined and now we are no longer barrio Victoria and barrio Los Incas, we are Barrio Central. Kinda a lame name if you ask me, but I wasn't on the naming committee so,,, I mean what can I do. In the process they released everyone who had a calling in both wards and so now we have no leaders or anything, Just a bishopric. So things are a little crazy and now my sector is twice the size and I´m not really sure what to think about it, but there you have it!

 And I´m really sorry that's all I have time for! And I left my camera in the house of some other hermanas so I can´t even send pictures! I promise I´m not turning into a lame mission emailer, just this one time I promise!

I love everyone and see you next week!

#12 Chuño Central

Ok so here in Puno they have this food called chuño and they have this long running joke with the missionaries that our stake is actually Chuño Central and not Puno Central. That's what they call it at least. And what chuño is is potatoes that have been stomped on, sunk in the lake for however many months, and then sun-dried. And apparently its horrible and everyone gets sick when they eat it. I never had the pleasure of trying it, until this week that is. Our pension made it and put it in a soup and I just ate it not thinking it would be anything super gross and it ended up being actually pretty good! After I had finished eating the soup, our pension, Elida, came in and asked me how I liked it with this sly grin on her face, And I told her I thought it was good! And then she said "Ahh you like my chuño!" So yeah I officially became a Chuño Central Missionary this week. And you know I'm not seeing any lasting effects.

Ok so last week was cambios right? Right. So I figured Elder Orellana would be getting the old heave ho, But I didn't guess that both Elderes Orellana AND Cuba would be getting shipped out! And that no Elders would be replacing them! And that now Hermana Gonzalez and I are the only companionship of missionaries in Barrio Victoria! Yup that's right. It's only us. And hardly ever is it only one companionship in a sector, especially Hermanas. So this week has been pretty hectic. We obtained the Area book de los Elderes and we have just been trying to find all their investigators and contacts and everyone. but it turned out being pretty successful and we taught a tooooon! They've got some good investigators. And now they're ours! Muahahah!

 One is named Nancy and we had our first cita with her one Saturday where I committed her to baptism!!! It was my first time asking someone to be baptized and I gotta say, I kinda nailed it. Another is a suuuuper young couple, both are 21 and have a 5 year old kid. They are Ariel (This is the boy) and Mariluz. And they are both suuper receptive and want to learn and they're already married so bonus!  But yeah its been a super fruitful week with lots of great experiences. We also vistited on of the old investigators this week. Her name is Yuliana and gosh I just love her already. It's been a year since she was last taught and we're not sure why she terminated the lessons in the first place, but she basically told us that she needed to learn more and pray. And no one ever says that to us without us asking them to in the first place. So yeah Good week for investigators! And last week we had 0 investigators and less actives in sacrament meeting. But this week we had 5 investigators that stayed for all 3 hours mind you, and a whopping 11 less actives!!!!! Most of which it was their first time since they've been active! Can you believe that? I was in wondering awe. Literally. So yeah once again, good week for the work. And Julio returned to church! For those of you that remember Julio. That man loves to talk. We had an appt with him this week and we didn't get a single word in. But he's a big fan of D&C so that's cool. 

Spiritual moment

So Presidente Harbertson has been counseling us to let go of our "Guerras de rebelión" or our weapons of rebellion. And as I think more and more about that, what that really means, I realize how much I really do need to change and how many things I use as weapons of rebellion in my mission. Whether it be staying in bed for 2 minutes more, or allowing myself to think only about myself and not focus in those things that need focus. These are my weapons of rebellion. And they are things I am trying to bury just like the AntiNephi Lehis. So I invite you all to think of those weapons of rebellion we carry around. And I invite you to bury them. Because the load is so much lighter without them. 

And that's all I got for now folks! Picture time!

Con mucho Amor,

Hermanita Rust

This is Elder Flores. He's from Chile and kinda the chillest person out there. And this is him Quidditching! He's a Potter Head as well. Foto Cred. Me.

And this is me on top of a giant Inca Head. So basic everyday stuff. Mt. Rushmore of Puno I guess you could say.