Sunday, October 9, 2016

Week 60 Saying Goodbye to Hermana Martinez October 3, 2016

Floyd featured in my classic puppy picture
And transfers are here! But first...

I knew this week would be a little bit on the slow side when my comp packed her suitcases on Tuesday haha.

Hermana Martinez was sitting at her desk casually gazing out the window when she says, "Normally you want to see birds flying but instead you see plastic bags..." I look out the window and sure enough there was a flock of plastic bags taking flight. Me: "Hey the white one almost looks like a dove!".... Just so you get an idea of Peru and their major garbage problem.

People are so insistent on giving you their food and beverages that Hermana Martinez decided to get crafty... She hates milk. The other night in a family home evening a member tried to give her some warm milk so with quick thinking and not a bit of shame she yells, "MILK GIVES ME DIARRHEA!" That lady booked that milk out of there so fast and left me in tears on the couch. Hey you gotta do what you've gotta do I guess.
Hermana Martinez with our investigator Claudia!
And yet another transfer has come and gone and leaves me taping my eyes open and telling myself, "DON'T BLINK DON'T BLINK!" It's a definite missionary cliche but time really does fly!!
Now I am down to just 3 transfers left out of thirteen. My time with Hermana Martinez was one for the books. She is a favorite no doubt. In the beginning I felt pretty blind as to why in the world was I leaving Tumbes after just 6 weeks?! But there is no way I would trade my time with Hermana Martinez. I know I needed to be with her and learn from her. Another amazing friend made out here!
Dropping off Hermana Martinez at the bus stop :( So sad!
My new comp is Hermana Sepulveda!!! I'm super excited! She is from Mapleton (Utah), just next door. Last week I saw her at the mission home and we were talking about how fun it would be to be comps! Well here we are (:

Not too long ago my companion and I were doing our weekly planning. We sat at out desks and meticulously wrote down the names of each person we were teaching. Some of those names we had little knowledge about, maybe a visit or two. Others we have been teaching for longer periods of time. We prayed for those individuals. We discussed what their needs may be. What they are struggling with. We used our resources to find possible solutions. We planned who could befriend them and make them feel more loved. As we sat at our less than comfortable card table-desks and pored our hearts and minds over those hand-written names I turned to Hermana Martinez and asked her, "What if they knew? What if these people knew that 2 sister missionaries in a Harry Potter closet were writing their own name down, they were praying for them, they were wanting to help them overcome their trials? What would they do if they knew?"

As the two of us sat there and thought about it, a very distinct thought, that did not originate from me, came to mind.

"If only you knew."

We truly have a Father in Heaven who loves us. He knows us by name. He watches over us individually. He hears our prayers. He tirelessly assesses our current needs, time and time again. He is aware of our pain and our sorrows. He "customizes our mortal experiences to help us grow into our very best selves." He has great plans for us, even if we are completely blind to the bright future ahead. Often it is comforting to know that "God's plans for your life far exceed the circumstances of your day." This is especially comforting to me as I step in yet another pile of dog poop and my skirt gets caught in a moto as it begins to drive away.... *sigh* I'm grateful to know that behind the scenes our loving Heavenly Father is planning big things for us. He, just as a father and his children, ultimately wants our happiness, because "men are that they might have joy"

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Ingram
Just practicing my French short conversation with Floyd (named by Hna Martinez after Pink Floyd. She's a big rock music fan. Who knew?)
So the mission manual says you can't play sports competitively...Oops! I needed to win that foozball game against Luisaac!
Conference in the native tongue (:
Hermana Martinez when I made her wash her stinky feet... "No! Don't take pictures! You're going to put them on your blog!" (: How did she know?

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