Week #31 - Cajamarca

Hello friends and family!

....and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST SISTER IN THE WORLD!!! Last Thursday was my sister´s b-day, and I´m sad I wasn´t there to celebrate and dance the night away with her, but the Lord has truly blessed me with a best friend for a sister, and I´m forever grateful for her and the amazing example of independence and strength she is to me. LOVE YOU REI!!

This week we got the climb the giant mountain again to eat our lunch on Sunday with the members, which was a fun trip. We took a combi for 25 minutes or so, and luckily it wasn´t jam-packed with people like it normally is. We made a few cow friends (pics attached) and there wasn´t any rain, which was a blessing.

This past Friday was the Luau Mormón activity run by the missionaries and the ward mission leader!!! It went super well and we had tons of members, investigators, and recent converts attend. Even some of our less active members came too, which was amazing to see. It was pretty stressful, trying to plan everything... some of the auxiliaries hadn´t done their duties until the day before, which made us a little worried but we helped them out and the activity, with all the decorations and fruit and games, ended up being super cute!! Pics also are attached :)

I was teaching piano lessons for a month and a half here every Wednesday a 7pm, but this last week no one showed :( so we´re thinking we´re going to stop, or switch it up for English class. Piano classes were going really well, and we had a few of our investigators come, and members too, which was great!! But now it´s starting to slow down with their classes and tests. 

This week we were trying to search for all the old investigators that we have in our area book to find new people to teach. We weren´t having a ton of success, until just two nights ago, when we decided to pass by Maribel’s house. We knocked on her door, and she opened her window on the third floor. We said that we were missionaries, and immediately without saying anything, she closed the window. We looked at each other and thought: ¨eh maybe she´s not interested¨. But sure enough, she came downstairs and opened the door to welcome us in. We were super surprised and pleased to see that she was excited to let the missionaries in her home again. We taught her the Restoration and she was extremely attentive and we got to meet her daughter, who I had seen once before in the church with Hna. Mariño, but she ran off before we got the chance to talk to her. Now we´re teaching her and her mom!!

This week was full of tons of little miracles, and I´ve had such a strong assurance that God is so aware of us. When we set plans and goals, he helps lift us up to achieve even more than what we thought was possible. He places people and opportunities in our path once we´ve taken the first step of faith, to help us see His hand in our lives. It´s so important that we make plans, and converse with our Heavenly Father about these plans, to receive the confirmation that this is what HE wants us to do, to use our time wisely here on earth. I know He loves us and guides us as we take steps of faith. 

I hope you have a wonderful week! Be safe, and make good choices!!

-- 

Hermana Doney