Thank you to Laura Lewis, Bishop Jamison, and the Baysas for their letters via DearElder.com. I receive the letters the same week that you send them. (Do you like my shameless, unpaid advertisement for the website? Maybe I could create my own DearSister.com company after the mission!)
This week was so special and I felt a special spirit throughout.
I accompanied my companion, Hna. Nina, on her last day. We went to the mission home and she had her final interview. We ate oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and talked about her goals for after the mission, along with the other missionaries that were finishing. (She plans to study psychology at the university.) We visited the stores in the area out of curiosity and found a chocolate shop that sold shoes made out of chocolate for 75 soles. (A pair of real shoes costs 20 soles here.) Pay my rent or buy a pair of chocolate shoes?…….hmm……. I felt so spiritually rejuvenated as I heard the stories and testimonies of the missionaries that were finishing and it gave me a new perspective for my own mission. What would I share if I was finishing? It was a powerful experience.
Hna. Avalos and I received our new companion, Hna. Yost from California, the same day that we said goodbye to Hna. Nina. I feel like I live with 2 angels, because they are so wise and sensitive to other people and to the Spirit. I have so much to learn from them, and we have had many spiritual experiences together. Hna. Yost is my first companion from the USA and we have a lot in common. She is a Public Health major at BYU and wants to go on to become a nurse. (I worked with freshmen who were trying to enter the nursing program at BYU through my Freshman Academy job, so I understand about the process and the stress of it.) We found out that we have taken some of the same classes (but not at the same time), which is a lot of fun. She is way cool, just like Hna. Avalos. We all get along great, and I love training, as it gets me more energy and focus. I remember what it is like to start the mission. (On the 30th of September is my anniversary of entering the Provo MTC. Crazy how time flies on the mission.)
The other sisters in our zone didn’t have a place to stay so they camped out with us for a day. They helped us with our sketch for the ward talent show. I adapted the show that Hna. Reyes and I wrote in Iquitos and expanded it. Supposedly, it is on YouTube. Even if you cannot hear it, you can understand what is happening. You can look under “Jardines SUD” and “Show de talentos.” I was impressed with how well it turned out: “A day in the life of missionaries.” My companions are so fun.
I love Hna. Yost because on her 3rd day here she invited the family of Rosa and Amador to be baptized and they accepted. We are seeing so many miracles with this family, and the ward is excited to throw them a party at their wedding. Rosa had not shown much interest, and so we helped her wash her clothes on Friday. It was so much fun because we just talked about our families and sang songs, especially Black spirituals. (Hna. Yost loves the movie “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" and shares my love of gospel music. Hna. Avalos learned the lyrics to “As I went down to the river to pray, studying about that good ol’ way…” ) Now that we have her trust, we are helping her develop her faith in Jesus Christ, little by little.
We are seeing miracles in this area and I feel blessed to have companions that want to work hard and serve and love. This is a great place and a great transfer.
Love, Hna. Christensen
