Week 9 My Love for being a Missionary is Growing! October 12, 2015

This week started with a pijamada (sleepover). We rode the hour and a half bus ride into PIura and spent our P-day there (every pday I've been in Piura). Later in the night it was time to go out and knock doors. Our sister leaders, Hermana Workman and Hermana Vasquez, assigned us a street in their area. While we were walking there we saw a big group of people gathered on a street corner looking up towards a building. When we got closer we saw a man on the roof of a building and then a damaged electrical wire. I think he was trying to fix it possibly? Every 30 seconds or so the wire would flare up and it looked like lightning up on the rood You could hear the electricity. The vote amongst the Hermanas was unanimous and we continued to walk. None of us really felt like watching a man get electrocuted.

While my comp. and I were out and about knocking doors a man walked past us, saw me, said, "Hello, goodnight" and continued to walk. 15 seconds later he turned right back around and started drilling us with questions about the Bible. i.e. "Why didn't Abraham sacrifice his son...How was Noah called to be a prophet...etc." My comp. would start to answer him but he would immediately cut her off with another question or argue that she was wrong because "in the Bible movies..." We were standing there for 15 minutes getting nowhere with his unending questions and I had had enough so I asked, "Have you read the Bible?" and he loaded really surprised that I talked and said, "No" and then I said, "All of your answers to your questions are in the Bible, so you should read it." He was surprised and said, "You understand what I said?" I nodded yes and then we were able to say goodbye to him. I went to knock on another door when I noticed my comp. wasn't standing right next to me. I turned around and she was standing on the edge of the sidewalk with tears streaming down her face. I put my arm around her and she said, "I just wanted to yell at that man but we can't because we are missionaries."

That night we slept at the Sister Leader's house with Hermana Shumway and her mini missionary comp. (a local who was called by her Bishop to be a missionary for just a transfer). 4 of us had to squish on two tiny mattresses. Let's just say I didn't sleep at all that night. The Peruvians always get "cold" at night so they turned the fan off and I was a little toasty. The next morning we went to the multi-zone conference. It was something around 8 hours! I love seeing Pres. and Sister Rasmussen. I feel like they're my parents here in the mission. It was fun seeing and meeting missionaries and speaking English...

Typical street in Morropon

Back in Morropon- We are currently teaching this cute jovensita named Alexa. In comparison to A LOT of people here she is very receptive and smart. Teaching her is always easy and fun. The other day we were in a lesson with Alexa when another jovensita we've encountered before, named Naely, walked by. When she saw us through the doorway she barged into the house and started waving at me with her hand and inch away from my face. I half acknowledged her and then continued with the lesson hoping she's understand it was a bad time. It turned into a little bit of an awkward situation. She kept getting closer and closer while I was teaching and started going through my bag. So of course I was getting a little nervous and asked for her to give me my things. But she refused and we had to all sit there and ask her for my bag. She reluctantly handed my bag over. When we left, Hermana Alexa's house she followed us and walked right up against me, shoulder to shoulder, and continually commanded me to give her my bag. I kept getting harassed and just yelled, "Help me Hermana Apeña!" Hermana Apeña kind of put her in her place and she turned and went the other way. Whenever we see her on the street we duck and run.

Highlights of the week:
-We finally were able to get Hermana Alexa to come to church! She was super nervous to be there but I tired to make her feel a comfortable as possible. We are trying to get her to read the assignments we give her in the Book of Mormon and pray about it. So it's a wait and see situation.
-The other day we contacted our moto taxi driver and he right off the bat asked, "Well why are there so many churches?" It's so great when people ask questions because we have the answers! He completely oped his heart to us and told us about the trials in his life. It was the most I've ever talked in a contact. For the first time in my mission I had a sincere, strong desire to share with him our message...not because that's what I do as a missionary but because I wanted to help him so bad! Our message, if accepted, can bless people in every way. He didn't give us his address but we know the street he lives on. I told Hermana Apeña that we're going to knock every door on that street and find him.

Other:
-I found a favorite food! Very very surprisingly it's cow heart...antecucho. A man named Oscar sells it on the street Saturday nights. It's yummy thinly sliced meat grilled on a skewer. The antecucho with papas and carnote is so good! Wash it does with chichi morado (purple corn juice) and you're in heaven.
-We went on splits in our area with the sister leaders. For the first time I was in charge. I decided where we went and what we did. It was a ton of fun and every day I learn more and more about what the mission is really like. I'm excited for the future and my love for being a missionary is growing!