Here are Christa's emails since January. Sorry it's been so long since the last update!! I'll try to stay on top of it.
JANUARY 26, 2009Well, I was right. It has been an INTERESTING week!! We finally got a room. ON SATURDAY!! Until then we were living on the floor of Hermanas in our area. We would get up, take a cab to our area, work all day trying to figure things out, then take a cab back at 9 pm. The family we stayed with who the hermanas live with is really nice and were great to us. The only problem was we were living on the floor, out of our suitcases (which were full of dirty clothes because laundry gets done on monday and our changes were last monday so we had no clean clothes), sharing a bathroom with a man that rents a room in the same house who walked in on me while I was going to the bathroom, and commuting to our area!! We would eat breakfast with the hermanas then lunch and dinner with some elders in a different area. Obviously I was a little bitter about the whole situation. I went from feeling so cared for by my companion, my pensionista, the area I was finally learning, to feeling like Id been completely abandoned in the middle of Peru!! Of course I opened the scriptures the other morning to D&C 61:36. Talk about knowing exactly how I feel! And obviously thats the day we found a room, a pensionista, and somebody willing to do our laundry. Our room is good-its a room so I cant complain!! The pensionista is the sister of the homeowner so shell be cooking in the same house we live so we dont have to go to another house to eat so thats great news!
Im in the stake Umacollo, but the area we are opening is called Pachacutec. It took me all week to learn that name by the way. I still dont know much about my area. It seems like my old area, but greener! The members we have met have been really nice. I guess thats what happens when missionaries havent been around for 25 years!
Anyway, I have to go, but the moral of this week is I am alive and well with a room and a bed and food so I am happy. Thank you for your prayers and for everything! I love you guys!!!
FEBRUARY 2, 2009Hey Fam!!
How are you guys?? I got dads email and cant believe britt made it for ems bday!! Thats so awesome!! The DAY before I was thinking how great it would be if Britt could be there for the big 1-6 and she was!!! So way to go Britt, figuring that one out without my assistance.
Oh, I got my packages!!! Well some of them. The ones from right after Christmas. I LOVEEEEE my clothes and tights!!! They are perfect!! Not to mention the oatmeal, granola bars, and drink packets! What a dream. I also got the blog printed, a letter from Mom and Jessie and a card from Aunt Beck. Talk about package pay day!! Anyway, THANK YOU!!! I love everything. But now I dont need anything for awhile so save your money!! Oh, did the CD of pics work I sent you? Let me know so I can erase them off my camera.
Things are going pretty good in my area. We are just trying to get to know people and contact and figure out our boundaries and how we can help the most in the ward. I start teaching english this Friday! Im with Hermana Cabrejos from Lima. She finishes this transfer and will be heading home. I really do like our ward. All the members are so nice. I like our room and pensionista too. And the family doesnt eat with uys here so Ive been able to start sneaking like 4 of my 8 pounds of lunch into Ziplock bags finally!! So the fam we live with has 2 little boys. I woke up to pounding on our door at 5am on Weds. I really am turning into mom because I was startled out of my sleep saying ¨whats wrong, whats going on?¨ Well, it was the 7 year old Gabriel. HE woke up and was bored and wanted to chat! I was so confused because it was 5 am and he was speaking to me in spanish, obviously, about his best friends and dinosaurs and rockets. Once I finally figured out there was no emergency I told him I was going to go back to bed. I felt a little bad for not playing with him, but not bad enough to actually play with him. Who wakes up at 5 am?? Crazy kid.
So I found out 24 northamericans came to the mission this transfer and 21 are coming the next transfer!! Coming by myself with all Latinos wasnt bad, but I am a little jealous because I found out since there were so many north americans president davis trained them in english and they even had their interviews with him in english!! Oh well, Im sure one day Ill get to hear the man speak english. Maybe not until the day I go home, but someday.
Anyway, I love you guys!! I hope youre all doing great! I cant wait to read your emails!
FEBRUARY 9, 2009
Happy 4 months to me!!! Not that Im counting or anything...Anyway, how are you guys???Im doing pretty good. I ran into my old companion Hna Monteza today and she told me 3 of our investigators have gotten baptized since I got transferred!!! I was so excited, but also a little sad that I wasnt there to see it, those people were so great. I guess thats how missions go though. Anyway, I learned something a while ago I forgot to share with you guys. Turns out it is NOT summer here in Arequipa. Apparently like everywhere else in peru yes, but arequipa no. I guess the seasons in the mountains are reversed? So if I was serving in Camana or Ilo or Mollendo or Tacna Id be burning, but here and in Puno its not summer. I dont know exactly what season that makes it here other than rainy season! Its actually not that bad. It only rains for a couple hours in the afternoons. I got Jos blanket this week and it came just in time! Since we moved into our new place they only gave us one blanket each so I welcomed my blanket with open arms! I also got a card from Aunt beck and letters from Jenny and Diana and a card from carla and dan. And I hear I have 3 packages waiting for me, but bad news. Apparently the office elder in charge of packages is sick of picking up packages for me so hes making me do it. That wouldnt be a problem except I can only go to the SerPost place where all packages have to go on my pday. Then I have to wait in line for an hour or more he told me AND I can only take out 1 package everytime I go! To add to that I have to wait for Pdays when my whole district can go with me! As Britt and Em would say RIDICULOUS. So like I said last week, save your postage since it looks like Ill never get a package again! Im sure it actually will all work out, but just FYI. Oh, we finally had zoneconference this week and it was really good. Its true I dont see much of the Davis´, but when I do see them, I really, really like them. Ill handwrite you guys some of their training. So I puked for the first time in my mission this week!! But the good news is I think my pensionista learned her lesson about making homemade yogurt! Maybe not though since I was the one puking! Yeah the yogurt looked and smelled and tasted a little funny, but I had eaten liver the week before so I thought yogurt was the least of my worries! Luckily once it was out of my system I felt fine. Thanks for your letters last week! Anyway, I love you guys! I hope youre doing great! Talk to you soon!!! Love, Christa
FEBRUARY 16, 2009
Hey Fam! My Valentines Day turned ou better than expected. Albeit I didnt have moms sugarcookies, we had 2 baptisms!! We have been teaching a great family who actually lived in Miami for 2 years. The mom, Rocio, had he baptism set for he 14th. Her husband wants to get baptized, but needs to quit smoking first and the 2 kids have strong testimonies, but they also have a very catholic grandma who threatens not to talk to them if they get baptized. So Rocio was set for 3 pm on the 14th. Well on the 13th we found out she needed o have an inteview with President Davis who was 6 hours away in Tacna! he interview got scheduled for the 14th at 2pm so we decided to postpone the baptism, obviously, unil Sunday or Monday. Well we went with Rocio to her interview and when she came out at 245 she said, I want to get baptized today. What do I need? Just my family and water right? So we called he bishop and he said that was fine and he would go fill the font. So we frantically ran around telling people it was back on for 430. Well when we got to the chapel at 415 the bishop wasn there and the font was NOT filled! I hought I was going to have a nervous breakdown! Turns out the bishop was ironing the baptismal clothes because they hadnt dried from being washed. Well it was 630 by the time the baptism got started and it ended up being beautiful. And I guess Heavenly Father knows what hes doing because in th 2 hours of waiting the daughter, Rosario, decided she wanted to be baptized with her mom! She had been interviewed by the distict leader already and decided it was okay if her grandma didnt talk to her because she knew it was the right thing to do. Talk about a crazy little turn of events! Going from no baptisms that morning to 2 by 7pm! Then we went to the house of a less active family we have been working with the past few weeks and they gave us valentine balloons before we left. So yeah, it ended up being a good day. I hope you all had a Happy Valentines DAy. WITH sugarcookies!
FEBRUARY 23, 2009
How are you guys??? Whats going on this week?
Em dont read this!! so I know you guys felt a little bad you ate at the JT without me on christmas eve, but I finally kind of got my JT dinner this week. No there wasnt steak with garlic or french fries or ice cream, but there was RABBIT! Sure enough after we were told we had eaten rabbit I looked out back and the fam only had 4 rabbits instead of their usual 6!!! Rough life for ¨pets¨here in PEru!
Dad, to answer some of your questions weve gotten a few referalls, but do lots of tracting and working with less active and part member families to find people to teach. And sorry to get your hopes up, but Im still not fluent in Spanish. I just thought I wouldnt mention it because I didnt want to complain about it for a while. Although I thinks things are a little better than I think they are sometimes. We spent the first week getting to know a lot of people in the ward and that first sunday I had to talk in sacrament. So during my talk I mentioned Id been in Arequipa 7 weeks. Afterwards everyone Id met earlier in the week told me they had no idea and thought Id been out 9 months to a year?! Which means 1 of 3 things. 1. Im in a ward of people that need to do a LOT of repenting because theyre big fat liars. 2. All the other North American missionaries theyve met have been idiots since they sound like me after being out for 9 months to a year or 3. I actually am learning something. I really dont know which to believe at this point. I still dont understand a lot and Im FAR from being able to say everything I want to and I STILL wish I could teach in english, but i think im a little less frustrated so thats good. The buildings here do have fonts, although I hear in puno the baptisms take place in lake titicaca itself! anyway, ill answer more next email, but things are pretty good. Although transfers are next monday so Ill let you know how things are then! Just when I get used to things they change! oh the life of a mission.
Anyway, like my subject says its been raining here a lot!!! I am NOT a fan!! Id have to say the worst part though isnt even the rain, its the solar shower we have! My companion has actually stopped showering all together, lucky for me, because the water hasnt been heated for a while! So along with my bowl of oatmeal request when i hit the doorstep, a hot shower is also on the list. Other than that, Im doing good and I hope you guys are too!!
I read some conference talks again this week and I loved The Way by JElder Corbridge and pray always by Elder Bednar. i dont have time to put my favorite parts, but theyre good if you havent read them in a while.
Anyway, I love you and miss you!!! Hope you are all fantastic. Talk to you soon!!!!
Love,
Christa
PS My ear has been randomly plugged this week and the bishops wife suggested using my own urine to pour in my ear and she swore it would work1!!!! home rememdies in peru SCARE ME! IF you have any better ideas let me know! Love you!
