Puno

May 25, 2015

Hola Familia!!

I have so much to say this week!  I arrived in safety to Puno after a

8 hour bus ride… super fun! But I am here in this Beautiful place.

Our area is name Huascar, for you gringos it’s pronounced like Nascar

but with a w instead of an N. My companion is named Hermana Quezada.

She is from Ecuador and a convert. She is amazing!  She is always

happy and smiling.  She always looks for ways to serve me and I

honestly love her so much already!  Secret: She goes home in June so

she only has one change,  I will be ¨killing her¨.  Hahah but she

still works normal and has a great attitude.

We are the only missionaries in the Ward!!  Yes it’s a ward and a stake.

It’s wonderful but still needs a lot of growing and progression.   The

name of the stake is Bellavista. We live in a really beautiful home

with a 87 year old catholic lady.   We call her the Abuelita and she

is so sassy!  She comes up to about my elbow and is the tiniest thing.

We often do odd jobs for her but I kind of love it.  One day this week

we left the keys in the house so we rang her doorbell  so that she

would let us in.  She poked her head out of the window and we told her

we left the keys inside.  She then said ¨well you´ll just have to

spend the night out there then!¨ Sassy!  Anyways the only problem of

our apartment is that we have to go downstairs  go outside in the

backyard and then enter in another room to go to the bathroom…  It

wouldn´t be that bad but it’s so cold here and it’s just freezing to

leave in the morning or in the night for that matter.  I honestly love

it though.  We only have water for one hour in the mornings so I have

gotten pretty good at flushing the toilet with a bucket of water.

While one of us is showering the other one fills up various buckets

with water.    Haha Its great.   I love where we live but with the

funeral  and everything that happened a couple weeks ago I have a fear

that we might find the Abuelita one morning…  Oh I guess we will just

worry about that later. But everything else is great!

We pension at two different places.  One for breakfast and dinner and

one for lunch.  They are both awesome and cook really good.  I don´t

know if it as healthy as Hermana Rene but it’s really good.  They both

eat with us and talk to us a lot so it’s always fun.

One ungoogable fact , and I don´t know if I have mentioned this, but

sometimes you drink jello.  I guess it can be a really hot drink so

lots of people give it to us.  Also, If someone asks if you want

water it could mean a number of things… lemonade, chica morada, apple

juice.  They call everything agua and the same with cookie..  cookie

doesn´t ever mean cookie, it usually means a package of Kraps…. Hahah

J

Anyhoo.  President came this weekend to the stake conference and we

had interviews with him in our  apartment.  I love Presidente and

Hermana Harbertson.  They are the best.  President Harbertson is such

an inspired man and the interview was awesome.  The mission is

changing and there are great things in store for this area.  We have

new normas de exelencia that are really going to help this mission

progress.  I am so excited!  I can see so much growth and potential in

this area.  It´s a little different than Tamburco.  Different problems

and situations but it’s amazing here!  We are going to see some amazing

things!

I just want to leave you guys with a testimony of this work.  We are

in the Lord´s work and I hope that even at home you guys are doing all

you can to invite others to participate in this great gospel.  It

brings so much happiness and joy into my life, sharing the gospel.

The Gospel is true and there is nothing more better we can do with our

time then live it.  This week I am going to try to ask myself  “What

more can I do?”  Beause I know the Lord can lead us to doors that need

to be knocked on and to people that are ready to listen.

I hope you guys all have a wonderful week!! Love you all so much!

Hermana Russell

Ran into Hermana Cooper, CCM group!  She is replacing me in Abancay!

New companion, Hermana Quezada

New area Huescar.  Lake Titicaca in background

Welcome sign from companion!

Going to Puno!

I have a change!!!!  WHAT!! I am going to Puno!!!  I will tell you

more next week!  I want to go but at the same time I can´t say good

bye to Rene and Carolina!  This is the hardest part about the mission

for sure!!

Yeah okay! HOla familia!!!

This week has been one of the best!  I have had the best time with

Hermana Campoverde here.  I think I am going to live in Ecuador with

her and never come home. Haha Chiste!! But gosh I love her!

We have had a great week! It started with a Family Home evening with

Rene.  It was the best!  The kids loved the FUN FETTI cake!!  Pictures

included!  We invited a Hermana that is visiting from Lima.  She is

new here working on her nursing major and doesn´t know anyone.  She is

so darling and single…..soooo we played a little role as a match maker

and invited our ward mission leader…  I didn't think he would come but

he came!  It was the best.  I have never seen Juan with anything but a

soccer jersey and a white shirt on Sunday, but he showed up to the

house with a nice button up shirt and his hair all combed.  It was the

best!  We gave a little thought and then made cookies and then played

a super fun game.  Afterwards we made Juan accompany fiorella to her

house, but disappointingly he did not ask for her number….  It was

great.  Maybe we can´t date but we can sure help others! I love being

a missionary!

WE visited a menos activos named Carlota this week.  We taught her a

really short lesson and then we helped her feed her chickens.  While

we fed her chickens she started cutting wood.  While she was cutting

wood she totally fell asleep!  Standing up and everything!  She is

such a hardworker and she does so much for her family!  She is tiny

but so strong!  We are slowly reactivating her but it is taking

awhile!

This week we have been focusing on contacting and finding new

investigators.  I have loved it because when a appointment falls

through we knock on doors and find people.  This week we went by one

of the people we contacted , but she was just leaving so we decided to

go and try to find another family we had contacted.  While we were

walking up this hill I decided to say a little prayer that we could

find someone to teach in this time.  Well we went to where we thought

this family lived and knocked.  A girl opened the window and we asked

if this family lived here, but she said that she would come out.  So

she came out and said that this family didn´t live here but

surprisingly she invited us in!  and her husband was there.  So we

were able to teach this family.  It was the best.  I know that God

answered my prayer in this moment.  I have been trying to work on

having more exact faith.  So I have been saying each morning…  yah

vamos a encontrar a Nuevo!  And you know what! It has worked!  It´s

amazing what God can do with your faith.  And sometimes we don’t just

find one we find two or three!

Well I am really sad to leave because this week we found another

Carolina.   She lives arriba with her grandparents and she is so

sweet.  We taught her lesson one and she understood it really well!  I

think she has great potential.   While we were up there visiting them

her grandpa walked by and coudn´t stop saying Gringa gringa!! Hahah

we just laughed and  laughed.  Later we took pictures with his cow….

Hermana Campoverde has them but I will send them when I can.

Did I mention that Hermana cooper is coming to Abancay to be Hermana

Campoverde´s companion!  PARTY IN Abancay!

I can´t believe my time is done in Abancay. I have loved every moment

and I have especially loved this change. Hermana Campoverde is the

best. We have become such great friends. Hermana Cooper and Hermana

Campoverde are going to be an amazing companionship and just what the

area needs. Thanks for such great companions. I am excited for Puno!

WHOO! It´s going to be the greatest!

This week I have studied a lot about the Book of Mormon. I have been

thinking a lot about a question that Predicad asks us. Its how has the

book of mormon influenced our testimony of the Savior. I have been

pondering this all week and think that for me the book of Mormon is

everything that holds my testimoney together. It contains the doctrine

of Jesus Christ! It helps me return to my Father and my Savior. I have

truly grown to love that book. I have been trying to study the bible a

little more, but everytime I am drawn back to the clear doctrine that

you can find in the Book of Mormon. How grateful I am for the

Restoration! I love the change in the mission with the contacting

because I feel like we have talked to many people and we have found

ourselves declaring the Restoration a little more. My testimony of

the Restored gospel has grown a lot this week.

LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Emma, Hermana Rene, Hermana Campoverde, Rene's children

New Investigator

Grandpa and the Cow

Celebration!

Hermana Russell and the Cow

Sebastian and the Funfetti cake!

Blind Date with new move in and the ward mission leader Juan!

Emma, Carolina and Hermana Campoverde
strange man in the background

Elders, The Sandbergs, Hermana Russell and Hermana Campoverde

Sweet Companions

Hermana Sandberg

Hermana Hunter, Russell and Campoverde, Tall, Medium and Small

Saying good bye at the bus station

Pig Food and Funerals

Hola Familia!!

                Well calling you was the best!! It just makes me so

happy to see you all so happy!

Just want to say a quick congrats to Mike Russell!  And also mention

that Yes mom I read my scriptures in Spanish. J  I kind of love it

because they use different words sometimes and you can take out a

different meaning from the scriptures or at least increase your

knowledge of what a phrase means.

I don’t have much to say this morning, but it’s been a crazy week in Abancay.

Tuesday we visited a Hermana whose name is Carlota.  She was busy

making pig food so we just chatted with her while she worked.  First

off, I now know why we don’t eat pigs here and I am very grateful for

it.  You guys don’t even want to know what is in the pig food but I

sent a picture and I am sure your imagination might come close. J  We

also caught some guinea pigs and took some pictures.   The women here

are so amazing!  They just do what they have to do to live!  They haul

buckets of pig food up a huge mountain or they kill their lamb to feed

their family at their husbands funeral.  It’s just crazy but also

really inspiring.  Not that I ever want to kill a lamb, but they just

work so hard and they still are happy.

For Mother’s day we made Rene a cake out of chocolate bars.  Saturday

night we had to steal her electric mixer and her food dye to make

frosting.  But it turned out really cute and she was happy.   We made

a card for her and Hermana Sandberg, and I even shared some of my

American chocolate with Hermana sandberg J They are close to finishing

their mission and she hadn’t seen a reese’s in awhile!  It was fun to

give them to her.  We also found a lady that makes decorations and she

made signs that said “Feliz Dia Mama!” With their names on them.  So

it was fun! Haha but literally no one came to church so we just hung

out with the primary.

Anways we had a Hermano pass away in our ward.  He was just the

sweetest old man and always was on time for church.  He was so

faithful and always paid his tithing.  He lived with his wife in a

very humble home, but they were so happy together.  We visited them

last week and I’ll always remember him waving out the window with the

biggest smile on his face.   They do funeral’s a little different here

and it makes me grateful for the system we have in the states.   One

thing that kind of shocked me was that when we got there, his body was

still in bed and he stayed there for 13 hours till they waited for the

coffin to arrive.  While we waited we helped peal lots of potatoes to

make soup for everyone.  We had sort of a viewing there at the house.

The people who brought the coffin also brought a giant cross and a

alter where you could kneel and pray and candles.  It  was a little

different….okay a lot different.  Saturday Hermana Modesta killed her

lamb to feed more people.  That was just crazy to watch!  I couldn’t

believe she was killing an animal with her husband right inside!  But

watching all this gave me a little more meaning behind  “Like a lamb

to the slaughter”…

Sunday they buried them in the Cemetery.  We went to that too and wow

It’s so different then in the states.  They have lots of little

buildings and just buildings with slots where you can slide in the

coffin.  It’s so different here.  It kind of reminded me of Phantom of

the Opera… haha

Anyways sorry I don’t have much to write this week or anything funny.

J  It was great to talk to you guys and I just want you to know that I

know this Gospel is true!  I am so grateful to be a missionary and I

know that real happiness comes from living the Gospel and loving God.

You don’t need much to be happy.  I have met people who live in the

most humble of circumstances and they are happier than anyone I have

ever met.  I hope we can find this true happiness in our lives and

then have the courage to share it with others.

Love you guys!

Hermana Russell

Lamb's tail.  ):

Mr. guinea pig

How could you eat him?

Too close for comfort!

and pig food!