Shout outs: I was surprised and delighted to get a bundle of letters from the following people: Richard Jamison, Laura Swan, Crystal Baysa, Jennifer Ricks, Grandpa Witt, Kezia Carter, Michelle Lizon, Kari Stolzenburg, Uncle Hunter and Aunt Cathy, and my mom! Thank you so much. You don’t know how much a letter means to a missionary, even if it takes a month or 2 to get to me. Thank you for your support.
Please keep the people of Haiti and Chile in your prayers, because of the earthquake there. I thought of cousin Nick who served his mission in Concepcion, which was damaged severely by the earthquake. We don’t know much of the news, but a lot of people in Peru have been affected as well.
I said “adios” to Hna. Tepen this week, as she is going to spend her last transfer in Lima. I spent the next 2 days in a trio with my friends Hna. Moreno and Hna. Pretell. I felt like I had just broken up with someone or something, because everything reminded me of Hna. Tepen. We were teaching a young man who was wearing a normal black t-shirt and I said to Hna. Moreno, “Hna. Tepen would love that shirt, because she loves the color black” (she was looking for the perfect black polo to bring back to Guatemala).
However, she will be happy to know that her legacy lives on. I, usually not a fan of animals, found my self hugging chickens this week. The election campaigns are going strong, and the phrase, “A chicken in every pot” is happening here. The candidates took truckloads of baby chicks and gave away a dozen to every family. I know what I will be eating for every lunch and dinner in about 4 months. Probably the same baby chicks that I petted and held in my hand….
However, my new companion, Hna. Duarte, is my consolation. She is incredible! She is from Guatemala, is 29, and is almost done studying marketing (she just has to finish her thesis). She is very goal-oriented and very diligent, and hopefully she is rubbing off on me. It really is amazing how much I am learning from each companion. She knows a lot of American songs, and so every once in a while I hear her singing songs from the 80s, or Celine Dion. Of course, we change the lyrics so that they are appropriate for missionaries (I was reminded of Karen’s example of “Lead thou me on” to the tune of Clarkson’s song). We are becoming good friends and we are working hard.
I love little kids. We did a Family Home Evening with a family, which was more like the Primary. We enter in and there are 15(!) kids there, sitting and waiting for us (they had invited the neighbor kids). Hna. Duarte snapped into action (she has 5 years teaching Primary) and committed each of them to help do a specific chore this week. She said, “I am going to talk with your mom this week to see who did their chores. Only people that do their chores get a prize. What will you do for your chore?” The kids offered various responses.
Kid 1: I’m going to make my bed.
Kid 2: I’m going to wash the dishes.
Kid 3: I’m not going to wet the bed!
We all laughed upon hearing the last response from this cute 3 year old girl, but really, it would be an amazing service if she didn’t do it. It’s hard enough to do laundry for so many kids, let alone by hand.
Also, as we began the lesson, this cute little boy said, “Dios esta arriba!” (God is above, or, upstairs). We said, “That’s right. Very good.” I love little kids.
Sisinio (35, father of 2) shared his testimony: “I don’t have money. I come from humble circumstances. But when I go to church with my family, I feel like I have it all.”
God bless the people of Peru and God bless you.
Hna. Christensen
