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!