Emma of the Jungle

Hey FAMILY!

Yup it’s true that I am in the jungle and I absolutely love it! Namely

because there isn´t one single bug bite on my legs J  YESSSS!!  The

weather has been perfect.  Yeah it super hot but I am here with my

best friend and an awesome second companion.

The music is perfect.  Thanks Hannah.  Also mom please do learn

Spanish.  It’s so fun to speak Spanish and lots of the funny things

that happen are usually in Spanish.  And no they don´t give us worm

pills…. But that doesn´t mean that we don’t have worms….

Oh and to answer your question about ward names… usually they are like

American names but pronounced completely different.  I am sure that

you are pronouncing the name of Carolina wrong. But yeah the names here

are completely different and almost sound Asian, it will be

interesting to learn them.

Well I didn’t want to leave Puno.  I was happy there and working

really well with Hermana Minaya.  I guess I got comfortable because

God always knows when we need a change and he knew that I was getting

used to it…ahhh man…. Puno is slash was amazing.

WELL I am here in Puerto and training to be a trainer was amazing.

Tuesday and Monday I said good bye to everyone and it was really sad.

Tuesday at like 12 we traveled to Cusco.  There was a bunch of sisters

that had changes so it was fun to travel together.  It was great to be

with Hermana Minaya for a little bit more time.  In Cusco we spent the

night in the house of the sisters and we anxiously waited for the next

day.  Wednesday we all got ready and went to the chapel for training

with Presidente before we met our companions.  It was a super awesome

training… I loved it and I am so excited to train and be with my mom!

Then I met Hermana Alailima.  SHE is from Hawaii and so cute!! She’s a

big Y fan and literally already acts like a normal missionary.  She

has really good Spanish and is not afraid to speak it.    We all get a

long great and have been enjoying the tropical weather storms which is

a crazy rain that I have never seen in all my life!!  OPWOW  its

beautiful here.  The drive was amazing.  Cold showers are great. And

it’s a great sector.  WE are really busy and have a lot to do which I

like.  Three gringos is definitely a rare thing in Puerto.  As we went

home this week we closed the gate behind us to find aty least 7 little

kids all staring at us.  They asked us where we were from and when we

told them the United States their little mouths just dropped open and

hung in amazement.  Super cute!!  The kids are so cute here.  I kinda

feel like I am in the movie Rio and the town kind of looks like the

movie Because of Winn Dixie.

I decided that instead of ungoogable facts because I am completely out

of them, I would do man vs. wild.  But this time Missionary vs. Jungle…

Because lots of time this climate just does it’s own thing.    So

first…. Cut my bangs three weeks ago… the humidity makes them go crazy

wavy and I have pulled them up since… bbye banges.  JUNGLE 1 Hna

Russell 0.    Cold showers every day… the highlight of the night… Hna

Russell 1 Jungle 1….. but then the cold showers give you a cold

Jungle 2….I feel like I  could write a book like the one dad would

always read to us when we camped outside..  that’s bad.. no that’s

good!  Haha J

I learned this week that God really is in control.  Presidente pulled

me out to talk to me while we were doing something and told me how

this change came to pass.  I know that it was truly inspired. And I

couldn’t shake the feeling all the change before that I needed to be

with Hermana Holland and that she needed me.  I know the Lord answers

prayers.  He is so great and his way is always better.  I read a talk

by Elder Anderson this week that said this.  We each try to do out

part but He is the grand architect.

I love the mission.  It’s going to be a huge amazing adventure here in

Puerto but I am so excited!!

Love you guys so much!!!

Con amor, Hermana Russell

Together again with Hermana Holland! And a New Hermana!

Saying good bye is hard. This is the sweet sister that has been feeding Emma every day.

Emma's new companion

A Change is coming!

September 21, 2015

I AM GOING TO PUERTO!!!!!

Oh my gosh I am going to serve with Hermana Holland and we are going to

train together!!!

Seriously I am freaking out that I can´t even breath right now.

Wednesday I will see my mama Hna Holland and we will recieve our

HIJA!! Oh my my Puerto is going to be an adventure for sure.

Well I have seem to forgotten everything that I can possibly say or

tell you but I wanted to ask you guys about if you are going to come

and pick me up J heheh also congrats to BYU and Taylor and Ashley.  I

am so excited for them!

Poor Cougar… I hope he is better but maybe if you get rid of him we

will have more luck with the season.

Well I loved my package!!  It was the best.  The earings, the music it

was all great J  and no I haven´t gotten the package from Mimi but I

think my leaders of zone have it.   Well also I loved Sophie´s soul

mate picture…… find one for me J

Well this week was pretty normal… Nothing really happened that´s super

exciting.  WE are looking for less active members and this week we

found a really great one named Laura.  She is a ysa and super cute and

friendly.  She hasn´t attended since she was little and in primary.

But we are super excited to work with her.

Well this week I studied a lot about God´s Grace.  You all have to

read the talk that President Uchtdorf gave in the general conference.

It is amazing and helped me so much!! Read it because right now I

can´t even think straight. ...

Well I love you all so much!! Thanks for all that you guys do for me….

Pray for me lots.  I am a little scared to go to the jungle but I am

so happy because I´ll be with my mama J

LOVE YOU ALL!

Hermana Russell

Beautifullness of Peanut Butter M&M's

HOLA FAMILIA!

Sorry for not writing very much last week.  J  we didn´t have much

time and I had to fix some things with my photos.  But all is well

here.   And so. We are truly enjoying my birthday package J and so

are the ward members because we have been bringing M&M´s to them so

that they might be able to try the beautifulness of peanut butter

M&M´s.  Mom asked if I remember watching Pysch and I honestly don´t

remember anything I did when I was home.  I faintly remember my last

night and don´t remember anything of the summer before besides Hannah´s

wedding and things pertaining to my  mission.  I do however remember

crying because I couldn´t find jeans for the mission J  hahah oh man.

What I did I do with so much time in my house??  Thank you for the BYU

updates.  I was so happy to hear that they won and feel like it’s a

birthday present from my favorite boys.   I think we should schedule

the Utes to play for my birthday because si o si they would be

trampled.  Keep up the updates because they just make me happy J  ALSO

Oh and I totally loved the description of the BYU players celebrating after the win.  Hugging

the ref is a classic and forget about all the movies that I will miss

on my mission, i just want to watch the 2015 BYU season please J

Well this week was an odd one.  Especially when I realized I got

excited when Hermana Yrma told us in ward counsil that we were going

to eat rice and fried egg and banana for lunch….. Hermana minaya is

currently suffering (I think) from a stomach infection and so she

slept a lot this week even though she didn´t want to.  Monday we went

to our ward mission leaders home for what we thought was a family home

evening but it turned into a birthday party J  He´s the best and I

love his family.  He served us the biggest slice of cake ever.  We

were also with Hermana Campoverde because her companion had to go to

Lima for papers.  Anway so we ate so much cake and then we had a

family home evening with the Bishop and he invited us to hamburgers.

I was dying inside but they were super good.  We returned to our

apartment close to 9:30 and we all crashed after a super long day.

Anyway I woke up at about 4 with super bad stomach pains and ended up

throwing up…. Haha no more hamburgers and cake for me for a while.

After that I was good and woke up normal….  But literally I don´t want

to eat a burger until I am home which makes me sad… haha J

Wednesday was a super hard day.  We were still in a trio and working

two sectors is so hard.  Finally Hermana Nuila arrived and we were

free to only work in our sector.  Anyways I could tell that Hermana

Minaya wasn´t feeling well and so I made her sit down and rest for a

bit.  We had walked a lot that day and it was unsually hot.  Anway we

said a prayer that we would find someone to help or teach so that the

hour would pass quickly and Hermana Minaya could get her mind off of

her stomach pains.  We decided to climb up a huge hill to visit an

investigator and it was a blessing that we found her in her store and

that she needed our help chopping vegetables to package in a pre made

soup package..thingy….hahah anyways it was an answer to our prayers

and we were able to sit down and talk and help Estela.  She´s

hilarious and we gained a lot of trust with her.  She asked us all

about our lives and our lives as missionary.  She is hilarious and

right now is trying to find her Book of Mormon because someone gave

one to her a while ago.

Thursday we had interviews with PRESIDENTE!  It was awesome as always.

We also had a mini interview with Hermana Harbertson.  sHe always

trains us on how to help our companions learn english.  I have been

trying to speak more English  and we have been praying every time in

English. I am pleased to inform you guys that I can now pray normally

in english.  Seriously applaud me because it’s so hard.  President is

the best and we are now focusing on finding menos activos and

reactivating them.  He promised us that as we do we will find new

people to teach and families that aren´t all baptized.   The

assistants trained us on how to work with the ward members and talked

about the importance of knowing the name of each of the ward members

and getting to know them.  It was a super good day. J and in the night

we had the privlege to be accompanied by Hermana Harbertson.  We

visited Cynthia our recent rescue and it was a great lesson.  Hermana

Harbertson is the best and such an amazing woman.

One funny thing that I don´t know if I have mentioned but Karen the

sister of our ward mission leader knows the song Some nights by FUN.

But she doesn´t know the words just the rhythm and the what the words

sound like to her.  One day she asked me if I knew this song and she

started to sing to me.  It was hilarious because she didn´t say one

single word in English but it all sounded like the song.  I couldn´t

help but chuckle a little.  It sounded like that one game where random

words sound like phrases…… hahah she is hilarious.

I was studying this week in the Book  of Mormon in the book of

Helaman.   I love his counsel to his children Lehi and Nefi.  He tells

them to build on the foundation of Christ and to remember their

ancestors.  Later Lehi and Nefi leave on missions and it says that

they kept the commandments of God.  A few scriptures later it says

that they taught with great power and authority and were not confused

by the Nephite dissenters.  I think that this a great example of what

obedience can do, it brings the spirit and a power that will be with

us as we teach.  They converted 8 thousand people.  WOW.  The lord

blessed them because they were obedient and because they were obedient

they had the Holy Ghost with them.  I know that we can be more

obedient and especially me J  I also read a talk by Elder Michael T

Ringwood this week that is called Truly good and without Guile.  This

talk is so amazing and helped me reazlied that I need to be motivated

by love and be good just to be good.  I want to be a member that goes

above and beyond and serves out of love.  He talks about that we need

to change our motivations and basically stop seeking recognition or

power  he then says this that I loved and thought I would share it

with you guys.  “The good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that

the desires or our hearts can be transformed and our motives can be

educated and refined.”  Isn´t the Gospel the BESt?  It allows us to

change and to become better.  I am grateful that we are not all stuck

to live and die without progressing and putting off the natural man.

What a blessing that the Atonement gives us.

Well it’s been a good week all in all. J  Next week is changes and we

will see what they will bring.

Love Hermana Russell.

The only cell phone we have is a banana phone!

The apartment!

September 7

Hola famila,

Well this week I don´t have much to say, sorry that this might be a

little short J

I got your packages this week and it was literally the best to open on

Sunday!  Thanks for all your support and love.  It’s seriously the

best.  My birthday passed really well and it was super fun.  The

companion of Hermana Campoverde had to go to Cusco so we are in a

trio, which means I was lucky enough to spend my birthday with two of

my very best friends in the mission.    Hermana Yrma surprised me with

my favorite meal and later in the night we had a family home evening

and thanks to some Peruvian traditions I got a whole lot of cake

smashed in my face. ..

This week was a hard week but we had a lot of success.  We are finding

lots of new people and the ward is progressing a lot.  I love being a

part of it and seeing how the ward is really making a difference in

the work.

Cirilo recieved the priesthood this week and he is really doing great

in his progression towards the temple.  He is going to be in charge of

blessing the sacrament J  we are happy for him but sad because his

wife is replacing someone for a month in their work and hasn´t had

time to come to church or recieve the visits.  Its been hard but I

know that Cirilo is a good example for her and that pretty soon she

will have more time.  Cirilo asked us at church who the wicked people

were, Hermana Minaya explained that it was people who didn´t do good

things.   And then Cirilo said, Oh like Hermana Nieves….. hahah J

He´s pretty hilarious.

Well that´s about it J sorry for being super boring but I just don´t

have very much to say J

Oh one more thing.  The son of our bishop  is trying to go to BYU in a

year to study..  But with the program that he is going through he will

need a sponser.  I don´t really know a ton about it but they asked me

to think about someone for them.  From what I understand you don´t

have to pay but I don´t really know. He´s going through pathway.

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!  Thanks for all the love and support.

Con amor, hermana russell

I promise to write more!!

And p.s. I might have cut my hair…J

Hola!

Hola familia!

It’s been a really great week! It’s super nice to have a companion that

has lots of energy and excitement for the work.  We are doing great.

I hope all is well at home and that the girls are enjoying school J

Hermana Minaya is the best and it’s so great to have such a great

companion.

I think this week we witnessed a miracle We have been working with a

menos activo named Cynthia.  She has been coming to church for about 5

months now but hasn´t had time for the lessons.  She even has a

calling in the ward and is in our consejo de barrio.  No one really

knows that she has been inactive, or they have forgotten, so its been

really hard to visit her.  But as a zone we have been praying

invidually for each companionship and the people that they are working

with.  Cynthia´s name is on the list and I know that everyone has been

praying for her.  It was an awesome feeling to finish all the lessons

Tuesday with her and finally achieve this rescue.  I was so happy and

grateful because I know that the Lord has answered the  prayers of the

missionaries here in Bellavista.  Cynthia is an awesome faithful

member and has plans to go through the temple in February.  I am so

grateful to witness such a great miracle.  WE also met our goals for

the month of August and its such a good feeling.  We are excited for

the month of September because we are going to have even more success!

Last Monday we had a noche de hogar with a family in our ward.  We

invited a less active member and our investigator Juana.   IT was

super great.  The family Rojas is the best and not just because they

are named Jesus and Miracle..  WE had a great lesson and then we

played games and in Peru they are really serious about punishments for

losing.  They have all kinds of punishments from dancing the chicken

like dance or yelling something riduclous from the window.  I was

unfortunate to lose and was punished accordingly.  I won´t tell you

guys what I had to do but you can trust that it was hilarious and now

on facebook…. J  I told Jesus that I wasn´t coming back for a family

home evening!  Haha but it was great and Juana is progressing super

bien!  The ward is supporting us so much and even though we have a lot

of work to do in teaching the lessons but I know that she will be

baptized soon.

OH this week we visited Ilaria!  It was a short lesson because she

didn´t have a lot of time (we visit her in her store).  While we were

teaching two teenager boys came in and were making lots of noise and I

suppose just doing dumb teenager things.  Later they left and were

just outside the small store still making lots of noise.  I guess they

were friends of hers or something like that.   Anyways at the end of

the lesson she would not pray and kept saying that she would pray

later and that I should say it.  We´ve heard say it before so it was

super frustrating and we both knew that she didn´t want to say because

of the teenagers outside.  I think she was a little ashamed or

embarrassed.  We kept persisting and she kept saying no…. ah it was

super annoying J  but after a really long time I asked the teenagers

if they wanted to join us because we were going to pray.  They said

yes and quieted down and entered they small store and I offered the

prayer.   It was a good moment and later I was happy that I invited

them to pray for us.  I think it helped Ilaria know that we are proud

members and that we shouldn´t be embarrassed to pray. J and maybe it

left an impression on the teenagers or at least ilaria.

One last fun thing we did this week!  Our menos activo Johanna (sister

to Cynthia) is going to have a baby in September so Saturday morning

we went to their house and helped make empanadas!  We made 200 little

empanadas and oh my hands hurt so bad from rolling out the dough but

it was so much fun.  The familia Segura is the best.  Only Johana is

inactive now and we love helping them.  Hermana Charro is the mom and

she was in the kitched all day Saturday.  The party started at 6 and

at 8 she was showering and getting ready.  We returned again in the

night to help decorate the cake and they night before we were there

making alfajores.  Don´t worry I have all the recipes! J  Anyways it

was  super great to help them an dI know that Hermana Charro was super

grateful.  The poor thing was super tired after.  Also it should be

noted that they call a baby shower….baby shower and that it started 3

hours late and Bombomcito made an appearance J We never went to the

party because we had to be in our room but we heard it was success J

haha oh  I love peru!

Anyways that was my week.  J  haha Love you all so much and I want you

guys to know that I don´t even miss you one little bit J  jk.. But

don´t worry about me.  HErmana Minaya and I are super great and I am

loving the mission. It’s the best thing ever,  I hope my hermanitas

think really hard about the mission because it blesses your life in

more ways than I ever thought.  Thanks for the love and the support!

Con Amor, Hermana Russell

 1. ALFAJORES

2. waiting for a combi and hermana minaya makes me hold everything....

just kididng we did it for the picture.

3.  we met our goals for August!

4. because we weren´t cold enough we decided to buy ice cream

5. helping Hermana Charro and Amik make empanadas

6. we are ready to go pro....