#20 It's an Eternal Joy

Hello friends and family and people of the virtual world! How ya'll doing? I'm swell. 

Well Hermana Gonzalez has made her excursion to Machu Pichu to do that whole Inca thing, so I am currently with my favorite gringa, Hermana McMahon. I luffff her.  But fear not because Gonzo will be back tomorrow and we'll be back to our cute little companionship of a giant white girl and a 5 ft nothing mexicana!

 So today during our companionship study, Hermana McMahon said something that was just super profound to me and kind of made me think a lot differently about the mission. For all you out there who don't know, the mission is not a walk in the park. It's really hard actually. Everyday, you're feeling pushed to your limits emotionally and spiritually, and sometimes physically, and it's a lot to deal with. This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. But's its the most fulfilling. Its the most rewarding. Its the most I've ever learned and grown in such a short period of time. And it's something that I will never forget.

Hermana McMahon said "These aren't the best two years (or eighteen months). It's not the happiest well will ever be. But it's a different kind of happiness that we gain here. It's a different kind of joy. It's an eternal joy that we come to feel." An Eternal Joy. I just love that. Because I know its true. I know that this will bring me joy into the eternites, as well as other people. To be able to preach this gospel and help others learn and learn ourselves, this joy is just too much. And something that I will have forever. It's a joy that comes from surviving trials and from hard work and overcoming things that seem impossible at the time, but work out only through the help of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. It's a joy of learning and falling and picking ourselves up again and starting something knew. I'm a new person now. I've learned so much. I've experienced a lot of sadness. But I've experienced a new kind of joy that I didn't know before. And eternal joy. And if I can think in this perspective, it doesn't matter what trials might befall me. It doesn't matter the problems that I will face. It just matters that I will be able to feel this joy forever. So thats my food for thought this week. Thanks to Hna McMahon. 

Well I don't really have anything new to report regarding our investigators. The wedding has been postponed again and it looks like it won't be until November which is kinda a bummer. But there still will be a wedding. Besides that, we haven't had a toooon of success this week. But we're looking forward to this coming week with hope! We had a pretty good turn out in church yesterday and Julio finally came back to church (I wrote about Julio once... a long time ago!) but yeah that was really good. Besides that, kinda a slow week. This coming week will be better and I'll have lots of stories and good stuff to tell you all! Deal?

Well I love you all, I love the gospel, I love the mission, I love joy.

 

Happy Birthday Shout out to Avonlea this week. Love ya Gupta! So that's a wrap. I'll talk to ya next week! xoxoxoxoxo

Hermana Rust

Four gringas waltzing around Peru. what could go right? 

That's Hermana McMahon (my temporary comp), me, Hermana Baker (my ex comp) and Hermana Tirell (The daughter of hermana Baker) 

And that was a really blurry picture, so heres another. And I'm laughing in it so... yeah.

                               I'm absolutely in love with this little boy. that's him praying. His name is Alvaro.

And here's a super awkward picture with president and his wife.