So yes. I am officially in the campo! My first area is Puno, land of the pinays (Quechua for the old ladies that still dress in traditional peru attire) and lake Titicaca. It is freezing here. Really regretting not bringing my BYU I getup. So yes, cold, but very beautiful. I am a little culture shocked, but I am loving this area more and more each day! And I've only been here for 6 days! So I can't wait to see how much I love it in three months. Fun fact, me and Hermana Baker (my comp from the CCM) are still together! We're not comps, but she lives in the same apartment as me.
Now for my trainer. Holy cow Santa Vaca! I love her. She's 24, from Mexico, and the fiestiest little thing you've ever met. But she's also the hardest person you've ever met. She just goes and goes and goes and makes you do things you didn't think you wanted to do (like teach relief society on your first sunday!) and makes it seem like it was your idea. And she just loves everybody. Really, she's the Mexican equivalent of Hermana Bolton. I love her. Oh and her name is Hns Gonzalez. We're not allowed to tell each other how long we've been in the mission, but I think this (my training) will be her last 2 cambios. And she'll be with me for the whole time! I feel a little bad because it takes us literally 2 hours to do 30 minutes of planning because she has to repeat everything she says 2 times so I can understand. But I'm finally starting to understand her spanish. it's everyone else's I have to worry about.
Ok so like a ton happened this week so bullet points are a go!
1.President and Hermana Harbertson are the maximo (this is hermana G's favorite word and it means just really cool. or dope. I'm not quite sure.)
2. We took a bus ride of 8 lindas horas (another Hna G-ism) to Puno in which I was forced to watch ninja turtles.
3. I already said this, but it cannot be stressed enough, it is FREEZING here! Freezing. It hailed. it's something like 12 or 13000 feet high up here, which is a couple thousand more than Cusco. So its cool. (appreciate the pun. I don't know how to pun in spanish.)
4. My first sunday here, I was called on to bear my testimony, teach gospel principles, and Relief Society. They don't waste any time here.
5. We have like a ton of investigadores and menos activos and I can't quite tell them apart yet. So once I can, I'll tell ya all about them.
6. Suprisingly, I've only seen like 2 llamas. Like is this even peru?
7. I'm constantly freezing.
8. I keep dreaming that I'm in the CCM. I can't decide if they are dreams or nightmares... Stay tuned.
9. I saw Elder Bryant. He's a zone leader in one of the Zones in Cusco.
10. I really cannot remember anything else.
Now it's time for spiritual upliftment.
In the CCM, we watched a Devo by Elder Holland from the Provo MTC. In it he said that all Satan has to do to keep this work from moving, all he has to do to win, is keep us from opening our mouths. I now realize how true this is. I have never been so hesitant to open my mouth in my entire life. Everyone who knows me knows that I never hve my mouth closed. But now in the mission field, I know that it's the adversary. So I need to open my mouth. Elder Holland shared a scripture. The account of the first vision. The part that talks about when the force came upon Joseph and he could not open his mouth. (mom please look up scripture and insert it here. I do not have my scriptures handy... whoops.) He said that the worst thing Satan could do was keep Joseph from praying. Because if he hadn't, the gospel would not be restored. Satan had not the power to kill Joseph, but closing his mouth would have been just as detremental. And so now I say, Open your mouths. Open them to anyone that will listen, and even those who won't. Open your mouths. Help the missionaries (I can say this now because I am a missionary). They need your help. Open your mouths. I will if you will. Ok not really, I will anyways. But really. I know that this gospel needs to be shared to everyone. And it's not going to happen unless we do something about it.
I love you all and hope everyone is doing well. I don't really have time for personal emails so forgive me please! Keep calm and preach on.
con mucho amor de Puno,
Hermana Rust!
Hermana Rust!
My first official meal. Papas con salchicha. Looks tasty right?
Me and Hna Gonzalez upon meeting eachother.
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