Week 41 Más Miladros! May 23, 2016

HAPPY 20th TO MY BEST FRIEND!!!

Oh my goodness Hermana Sandison's Birthday was a BLAST!
At the clinic (getting flu shots) we shared the chocolate cake with all the missionaries and nurses.

The things we do for blog pictures (: Like taking a cake to the clinic for our vaccines

*stepping into the elevator at the clinic.... awkward silence"
me: HEY EVERYONE IT'S HER BIRTHDAY TODAY!
whole elevator: oh happy birthday! How old are you? Lets sing to her! ..Feliz cumpleano....

Hna Sandison had a record of 3 cakes to the face that day, wow. Normally at my house we don't put our faces in the cakes for sanitary reasons... here its: "mmmm.. eyelash hair and crusty makeup, delicious!"

Cake in the face #1

We took our investigator to a baby shower this week to meet sisters in the ward. At the end Hermana Patty began cutting the celebratory cake when all of a sudden 20 hermanas came walking in an hour late... Hermana Patty: "Oh boy, we could really use a miracle from Jesus right now." (In reference to the feeding of 5000) I laughed for a good 5 minutes.

We got permission this week to visit Geraldine (investigator) in the hospital! There I was once again reminded that I was in a third world country. Scary!

Our investigator Jaco: In a lesson we found out his #1 life-goal is to be a millionaire. For that reason exactly he seems to think that becoming a member of the church means giving up his goal (which is not necessarily the case.) So we talked to Hno Silva (Future mission pres of Guancayo) about it and he said, "Bring Jaco over for FHE on Monday." And that's what we did. Hermano Silva hit it out of the park with his Jaco-directed lesson. He talked about putting God first and Obedience! When God is first everything else will align. He quoted "For I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." I have never heard anyone as bold as Hno Silva (maybe besides Elder Holland) and the boldness really worked! At the end Jaco asked me, "So what exactly are all the commandments again?" I kind of laughed and thought, "Well that sure went well!" I LOVE THE SILVAS! Hermana Ana told us her life story and about joining the church and it was awe-inspiring! We all sat in her kitchen with tears falling onto the kitchen counter top. It's moments like that where I think "I love my mission!"

MIRACLES:
On Tuesday we went on divisions with the sister leaders. I went to Hna Claudia, and Edgar's family of 7. While Hna Sandison went to Samantha.

Lesson with Egdar and Fam: During the lesson I asked everyone how their reading in the Book of Mormon was going and out of no where Jasinto (the father in the house) stood up out of his chair and started testifying to his family that the Book of Mormon was true. My sister leader looked at me like, "What did you guys do?!" and I just looked at her and said, "I have no idea." He said that earlier on he went into the forest by his house and read the Book of Mormon for 4 hours non stop. Every time he has a stomach pain he reads the Book of Mormon and his pain goes away...

Lesson with Claudia: Previously, Claudia has always told us that she doesn't want to be associated with any church. In the lesson she told us, "Quiero ser Mormons" "I want to be a Mormon" my jaw pretty much dropped... again my sister leader looked at me like "I want to be in your area"

When I finally saw Hna Sandison again I ran to her so excited to share the good news but she beat me to the punch. She told me that immediately as they were sitting down for the lesson, Samantha said, "I know all of this is true."She then said why. She said a prayer to find her hidden Book of Mormon and felt the spirit guide her to it. It worked! Before the lesson she prayed, "Heavenly Father if this is where you want me to be, let the missionaries be on time to the lesson today." (I laughed out loud when I heard that, missionaries are never on time!) And they arrived 6:30 Sharp! Hey if that's not a miracle then I don't know what is...

Pray for miracles this week! Example: that Hermana Sandison and I stay together for another transfer (:

BIRTHDAY SHOUTOUT TO HAYDEN! I love you sooooooo much!

Con tanto amor y brazos
Hermana Ingram

Flu shots...ouch!

Cake in the face #2 (She got me back for that one)

Sharing the cake with other missionaries in the clinic

Happy Birthday!

Cake in the face #3

Complete with a piñata!

We met these people on the street last P-day! He is Jessica Lasser's (cute girl from my high school) older brother! Served in this mission about 3 years ago.

Week 40 I SAW A MIRACLE! May 16, 2016

First, HAPPY 20th TO THE BEST COMPANION EVER!!
Hna Sandison completes 2 decades of life on the 19th, what an accomplishment!

Just waiting on investigators

I just want to put my happiness into an email but I find it pretty difficult.... I SAW A MIRACLE!
Ok so we see tender mercies every day but big miracles don't happen too often. Ocho investigadores asistieron a la iglesia ayer!!! I repeat, 8 investigators came to church yesterday!!
To put things into perspective... having even one investigator at church is amazing. My previous record was 4. Hermana Sandison and I were in shock.

Sadly, of those 8 investigators... Samantha wasn't one of them. In our last lesson with her she told us how her husband hid her Book of Mormon and won't let her read it. Slightly annoying... On Sunday he purposely stayed at home rather than working just to keep her from coming to church. It seems that he will be quite the obstacle. I remember that one time I ran the Spartan Beast, a thirteen mile obstacle race... I made it through every obstacle. So whats Samantha's husband compared to that?? (;

Our super cool family we recently found!

We thought we would caption this photo"The Gospel Makes us Happy!" or....wait.."The Gospel makes Hermana Sandison Happy!" note: these people could be smiling and laughing but the minute a camera gets pulled out...SERIOUS FACES! It's a latin thing..

Saturday night Hna Sandison and I were walking to the Internet cafe to update our referrals. As I was walking I had a very strong impression that we needed to turn around and walk down the other street. Impressions like that don't happen to me often, but when they do, I know exactly where they are coming from! So we turned around and walked down the street. A lady, Maria, we had been looking for the week prior walked into her house just as we were approaching. So we knocked the door and she loved hearing about the restoration! She has a little dog named Britney Spears that really liked us. Maria said how much it surprised her that the dog loved us when normally Brittney attacks everyone. That's how she knows we are good people. Hermana Sandison and I laughed, "Yes Hermana Maria, listen to Britney Spears, she is right..."

Our investigator Jaco is driving and the cutest RM Orlenka is in back. Let's just say I'm secretly trying to hook them up (: (first he has to get baptized of course) One day when they have 5 children they'll look back at this picture and thank me (;

Anyways, feeling successful! In our Multi Zone Conference Hermana Rasmussen said, "A happy missionary is a successful missionary" I couldn't agree more.

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Ingram

Look how beautiful Hermana Rasmussen is! I want to look like her when I'm a grandma!

Quick pic with the President after our multizona!

Just trying to sneak a pic with the office elders who were taking their boy band pictures...oh elders..

More Hermanas! Hermana Howell (Rigby, ID), Hermana Thomas (Ogden), Hna Sucari (Lima), Hna Brown (South Jordan)

Hermana Signs, Hermana Sepulveda and Hermana Sandison! (you can see my previous companion in the back) 

The best district! Featuring the assistants Elder Hendrix (Idaho), Elder Gandarillas (Boliva), Elder Rogers (Arizona), Elder Quincho (Peru), Hna Signs (Colorado), Hna Sepulveda (Mapleton), Hna Sandison (Idaho)

Someone was having wayyyy too much fun with the juguetes (toys)

Hermana Sandison: "I'm cold"
Me: "You have been here too long..."
I would ask that prayers be offered when Hermana Sandison returns to a full blown winter in Idaho...

WOOHOO my celebratory, cheesy nine month mission pic! (But not nearly as cheesy as the ones found in the photo printing store) Yikes!...

And my beautiful baby...135 pounds 7 ounces

The delivery was...strenuous:)

 Hermana Sandison sat down for a second to ask for directions, meanwhile this dog tried to sit on her...

As pretty as Piura can possibly get!

Week 39 Happy Hump Week!!! May 9, 2016

ITS HUMP WEEK EVERYONE! (I'll send my 9 month celebration pic next week)

The week went by too fast.. :( and the 30 minute....10 minute.... 7 min... 15 minute..... skype call with my fam (dots represent the internet going out) felt like a milisecond! But even a milisecond makes all the difference, I love them!

What a fun week we had full of fun lessons!
Poor Hermana Sandison got the gripe this week (Pronounced Greepay: the common cold) It's pretty funny what people come up with here. "It's because you're drinking cold beverages", "Stop sitting in front of the fan."

Hermana Sandison: "I can't feel the Spirit with the greepay"
*teaches a lesson with the spirit so strong*
Hermana Sandison: "Wait, I can still feel the Spirit with the greepay"

My compañera is FULL of the best stories, I can't get enough of them. The other day she told me her "last story." She then proceeded to tell me an elaborate story about how the Fijian royalty was overthrown and they took undercover refuge in Twin Falls, Idaho. Her childhood best friend was literally the Princess of Fiji. In conclusion she said, "And that's how I met the Princess of Fiji" I laughed for a good five minutes and that's when I stopped believing in anything she says. Now if either of us tell a story, we end with, "And that's how I met the Princess of Fiji" Poor Hermana Sandison, I'm starting to believe she is actually telling the truth...

Chucaque is a ridiculous fake disease. You contract the disease Chucaque when you get super embarrassed. If you want to get rid of your Chucaque you must then make someone else embarrassed to pass the disease or go visit the voodoo doctor who then uses a newspaper and egg combination to rid you of it. Symptoms: Nasuea, vomiting, stomach aches, head aches.....

Hermana Sandison thought she could use the words avergonzada (embarrassed) and Chucaque interchangeably.... I laughed pretty hard when she asked me why the people laugh at her when she says she's embarrassed (:

Our lesson by the river with our investigators, Claudia and Karen, and Hermana Armanda and her daughter.

The other day we had an amazing experience! Our super cute eager-to-learn investigators Karen and Claudia wanted to take us to their favorite place by the river for their next lesson. So we excitedly went. During our lesson about The Gospel of Jesus Christ they asked us a random question about whether we live chaste lives or not. When we responded with "yes" they kind of laughed in our faces a little. The very next day we stopped by their house to teach them about the Law of Chastity. It was a little nerve racking as we were anticipating some form of rejection. But amazingly enough, their eyes lit up when we taught them about eternal families and the law of chastity. It rang true in their hearts. It made Hermana Sandison and I think back to when they had laughed at us and to now. I think sometimes it may seem like we are alone. But standing up for what you believe in may sometimes lead you to realize that You Are Not Alone.

We were so excited to eat Mother's Day lunch with our mother here in Peru (Hna Rasmussen) that we sadly missed a pic with her as she was FaceTiming her real children ;)

Saturday night we went and visited with our investigator Samantha, a mother of 3. Her younger brother Pier has been visiting with the previous elders for some time now, his baptismal date is in 3 weeks. Samantha's family is very catholic. During this lesson (only our second one) we reviewed Lesson 1 on The Restoration. She started telling us that her husband doesn't want to listen to us anymore. I told her to imagine for a second that the church really was true, that Joseph Smith really was a prophet, that this is where true happiness exists. Would the adversary really just sit on the couch and let it happen? She replied that probably not. I told her that of course not! There will always be opposition, especially against the truth. She then told us that she wouldn't be able to be baptized for at least a couple months to give her husband more time... (at this moment Hna Sandison and I had on shock-happy faces, the shock being that we hadn't yet extended the baptismal invitation.) Samantha went on talking about her neighbor Socorro, (a member in the ward) and her amazing example. She said she has watched how well she gets along with her husband and has seen every Sunday for years Hermana Soccorro gathering up her 5 kids going to church for not just one hour, but three, and then sprinting back home to start cooking. In the words of Samantha "She is an example to all of us, I often ask myself, could I do that?" Can you see how important our examples are? This woman is so prepared for the gospel only by seeing the example of her neighbor. I like to think of the quote, "Preach the gospel often, and when necessary use words."

Se que la iglesia es verdadera! I couldn't say it enough!
Late Mother's Day shout out to my momma, who makes all of the Peruvians say (when I show them my family picture) "Oh su mama es bien guapa!"
Si! I love you mom! Can't wait to hug you in a short nine months!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Ingram

Someone was excited to eat President's homemade tacos and enchiladas

Amo a mi compañera!

Indoor sand castles....how fun!

A member's son (the poor part of our area)

Peruvian facials.....bad idea!

Week 38 May 2, 2016

What a week! We worked nonstop and had great success!

Every single day is go, go, go. At the end of the day we walk into our rooms like complete zombies.
The other night, I went to brush my teeth. I almost had my toothbrush in my mouth when I looked down and realized I was about to clean my teeth with hydrocortizone itch cream. That might have been a trip to the clinic!

We all know that sister missionaries aren't the cutest... Well Hermana Rasmussen likes to call it the "mission uglies." Every day when we walk out the door my companion always says, "Well at least people aren't joining the church because we are cute." AMEN!

We read a letter to Hermana Sandison from her sister this week that said, "I sure wouldn't mind being in Peru. It'd be nice to see a different landscape for once, I get a little sick of the dry, (Piura) brown, (Piura) hazy, (Piura) crap that Idaho sees towards the end of the summer. I picture everything green and pretty where you're at." Thank you Brendon for giving us a good laugh!

This dog originally wanted to take my arm off, but then we became friends (:

#1 on the list of Ingram Sandison adventures: We want pepper spray!
At 7pm Hna Sandison and I were walking on the corner right by our house we heard a woman scream from across the street. Two men, with black masks, pulled up on a motorcycle. The one on the back hopped off and chased her. She fell and he beat her up a little, stole her bag, and then drove off. We ran across the street to her, helped her up, and tried to calm her down. She was crying hysterically saying, "I thought they were going to kill me!" She only had a few scrapes and bruises. Turns out her name is Maria and she is a member! She was baptized by an American elder when she was 12 but hasn't gone to church in years. We invited her to come back to church!

Our investigators Karen and Claudia!!

#2 Our investigators Karen and Claudia are amazing! They are both college students and so eager to learn each time we meet with them. Karen came with us to a baptism of an excommunicated member this week and it was amazing. The spirit was so strong as this man bore testimony of the atonement and thanked his family for being so patient with him. He came back! I hope Karen had as awesome of an experience as I did! Though everything is still super new to her. The next day she even came to church! I feel like the two of them are really prepared to hear the good news of the gospel.

#3 Geraldine and Yaco didn't make it to church! It was such a bummer after they each had promised us to be there!! I swear the mission is going to leave me with some serious trust issues..... Also during relief society Hermana Sandison was asked, "What are you sacrificing to be here?" (in the mission) Of course her first thought was "my body".... but then she quickly started naming, "My family... my friends.... school..." Moral of the story: what's the moral of the story anyway? I just thought it was funny (:

#4 Yesterday our taxi sank into Piura's finest sinking sand.... ALL of Piura is built on top of sand, like the sand on the beach. Yard work here consists of watering your sand so that it doesn't turn into a major sand storm. In the beginning of my mission I was always so confused! "Why is everyone watering the sand???"

Above all else this week I just feel so immensly grateful! I feel super blessed to be where I am right now. I feel like it is such a privilege to be able to teach all of the investigators we have right now and how close I feel with them. I'm especially blessed to be with Hermana Sandison who shows me every day I love my mission! Our neighbor said, "You girls wake up laughing and then go to bed laughing dont you?"
Its true!

So so so so excited to see my fam in just 6 days!!!
Love everyone so much

Hermana Ingram

The Hermanas with the office Elders

Las Hermanas! Hna Sepulveda (Mapleton) Hna Sandison (Twin Falls, ID) Hna Signs (Colorado)

Waterfall above Moropon

Just a little hammock break while waiting for an investigator

Hermana Sandison es mi mejor amiga!