New companion!!

Hola Familia!!!

Its super, super cold here in Abancay!!  I can´t imagine going to Puno

or elsewhere.  I loved everyone´s letters from last week! You guys are

all the best!  Conference was amazing! I loved it and can´t wait to

study the talks a little more.  The image of mom cheering for me was

the best.  I love you mom!!  And I expect next time for you all to

stand and cheer.  J Annyoo what you said dad about the potatoes is

true and eggs.  I have only seen eggs one way which is fried, (Yes I

have eaten a few fried eggs sandwiches and thought of you dad) and

Potatoes two ways, French fries and just sliced and baked.  J I think

I want to teach them out to make mash potatoes.  Hannah asked me for

my highlights and lowlights.  Highlight:  Hermana Campoverde Lowlight:

Losing my mission mom, Hermana Holland.  I wish we could be in a trio.

Hahah but this week was really good. I don’t have too much to say

though.

Hermana Holland left early Tuesday morning.  It was a tearful good

bye.  I miss her a lot and I miss English a little.  Lisbenia stayed

with me for all of Tuesday and in the morning Wednesday until my new

compi arrived.  LIsbenia was really patient with me and put up with

all my nerves.  I was so nervous to get a new companion.  But Hermana

Campoverde is the best!!  She is sooo cool and so patient with my

Spanish.  She is from Ecuador and has 5 sisters!  She is the third.

She is hilarious and I already love her so much.  She is very obedient

and we get along really well.  I am going to learn so much from her.

She is a great teacher and a great contacter.   Her English is also

really really good.  She has studied it on her mission and she really

tries to use it.  She says things like “Yes” a lot.  It kind of sounds

like a napoleon dynamite kind of yes but I love it.  She can say ‘what

is your problem?” and “where are we going?”  I am going to teach her

how to pray and bear her testimony…… If I can remember.  I am losing

my English rapido.  I have a new district leader from texas and I

can’t even speak English to him.  Hermana Campoverde asks me how to

pronounce words in the book of mormon and I literally can’t .  she

always says “Oh its pronounced the same?” and I’m like “no…sorry I

have no idea”  IT takes me awhile to think about it.  Anyways she came

from Sicuani and knows HErmana Cooper really well!  I think she

brought the freezing cold with her.  I am super excited for this

change!  Even though I miss and love and adore hermana Holland, it’s

easier to work with a latina because people  aren’t scared of us in

the streets.  J  so contacting is a lot less scary.   She is just so

nice and I can’t wait for this change.  She likes to laugh and work

and work out.  Man I am so sore!  She has p90x dvds and now its super

fun to work out in the mornings.  She is just the best!!

Well I don’t have a lot to say this week but I love the book of mormon

challenge.  I am learning so much.  I love King Benjamin and his talk.

I love what he says about service in chapter 2.  We could serve the

Lord with our whole soul and heart and strength and we would still be

in dept to him.  And all that he requires of us is to be obedient and

when we are obedient he blesses us.  Immediately!  I am not serving a

mission to try to repay him, that’s impossible, but I am serving a

mission to learn how to serve others, how to love others, and how to

bring the gospel to many people.  I am so grateful for Heavenly Father

and all he has given us.  I wish there was some way I could pay him

back but I know that all he asks of us is to keep the commandments.  I

also love the phrase in Mosiah 2:36 “Guide you in wisdoms path”.  This

is one of the jobs of the Holy Ghost and I love this phrase.  When we

serve others and keep the commandments, The spirit can be with us.

The spirit will guide us in our lives.  I also love that it is not

Father in Heaven who moves away from us, it is us who move away from

Him.   Wow I just love the Book of Mormon and the Prophets in it.  I

know it’s true and I love teaching about it.  At the ends of really

hard days it’s the greatest thing to read in the Book of Mormon and

discover that I’m not the only one who had days or weeks like that.  I

know that the book was written for us in this time and I hope that we

take advantage of this great gift from God.

Well sorry it’s a little shorter this week! I promise I’ll write more

later J  Love you all so much!  Thank you for the examples and

support.

Love Hermana Russell

Hermana Russell and her new companion Hermana Campoverde