More up and down . . .

Hello Family!

This was another one of those "up and down" weeks. One day great, the next with nothing, rain, sun, the whole shabang. I´m going to kind of pick up where you left off your email, Mom. 

I wouldn´t say this was a bad week, but I caught myself complaining about people not doing the things they said they would be doing (members and non-members), being stressed about the progress (or lack thereof) of some people, normal companion things, so on and so forth. Yesterday I was trying to figure out why things weren´t going the way I wanted them to go. Then it clicked. It doesn´t really matter how I want things to go.  If I´m working with only that in mind, we´re going nowhere. Since Hna Mendez got here I started just doing things my way. That´s where the impatience, stress and frustration come from. But, when I´m doing things the way the LORD wants me to do them, things are better. Not perfect, there´s always something that won´t go the way we plan, but we can still feel that peace and that progress when we are focused on Him, His plan, His will, and HIS wisdom, not our own. So, that´s my goal for this week. Let go of how I want things to be and just do what the Lord needs from me. From there, I´m hoping that things will get better again.

Also, I have a very humbling experince that is worth sharing from last night. We went to visit a family (investigators) that we´re working with. This family has NOTHING. Richard (the dad) recently lost his job, they just went thru a traumatic day when their two-year-old son went missing for almost 24 hours, she´s been sick, the kids are all over the place. Just crazy for them right now. We had an AWESOME lesson on the Book of Mormon, and afterwards they invited us to stay for dinner. I was a little hestiant, knowing that they didn´t have much food to give, but we stayed. She turned a barrel upside down and covered it with paper from her daughter´s notebook to make a tablecloth and handed us each a package of crackers and a cup of mate (herbal tea type of drink). She then apologized for the lack of elegance but asked if there was anything more she could give us. I just wanted to cry and hug her forever. Even after being here for over a year, I love these little moments that help me to realize how blessed I am to be working with such humble and wonderful people. And from there, these moments that help me understand better the type of person I want to be when I come back. Not focused on how nice my things are but really how I can serve others with what I have to offer and serve God by just focusing on the little things that will keep me close to Him.

We´re starting our visits again this week! It´s kind of a love-hate relationship, this whole sister leader thing. It´s so fun to visit all the sisters and go to the meetings with President, but it´s stressful when I can´t just work in my sector. Luckily, we switched around a little bit and all the sisters we visit are close enough that Hna Mendez or I can stay here while the other is away instead of both of us having to leave for a couple days at a time to travel! 

Love you all! Keep up the good work with all the crazy stuff you´re doing! If y'all set up everything for google chat (that´s what it´s called, right?) and just tell me what I need to do to use it the week before I´m sure that´s fine :) Have a super week!

Amie

Just a compi pic :)

I love Puno because you can just stop and buy hot chocolate and whatever these Little cake things are at every corner when it´s freezing outside!

More animal pictures! Pardon my face, I was kind of holding a gross rat.

 

Once upon a time it starting raining like crazy and we got stuck inside for a little bit while the end of the world was happening outside. 

This is Marleni. She sells clothes out in the big market in Puno. She was a little in distress because all her clothes were getting ruined from the rain/hail and couldn´t really do anything because her leg is broken. We took some pictures to help cheer her up :)

"Never do anything that you´ll regret afterwards. And don´t regret it for not doing it." 

Some good words of wisdom.