Tender Mercies

This week... what a week. You know, I have learned that as a missionary.. and a person, we will always pass through rough times. Sometimes we wonder why. Sometimes we wonder, where is God through all of this? How am I supposed to do this in the circumstances I am in. We ask so many questions and we honestly just suffer. I have learned that that is the way of life. It happens to the best of us. But more importantly, I have learned that the Lord is always with us whether we realize it or not. He is aware of us. He knows us personally. When we pass through difficulties, I really believe that if we can do it with the right attitude, that we will come out physically and spiritually stronger. I know that. I have felt it and experienced it. I like the story of the refiners fire and how the peice of metal needs to pass through intense heat and pressure. We are like that metal and although it is super hot and uncomfortable and sometimes we may not be able to see the benefits to all of the torture, the metal (or us) comes out to be a beautiful masterpiece. Sometimes I feel the heat here. Sometimes I feel like things have just gotten so hard. But in the end I have ALWAYS come out stronger learning a very valuable lesson. It is all because our Heavenly Father loves us celestially and eternally. I know it and I feel it in my life.

 

When I am going through a hard time, I feel his love most through his tender mercies and oh boy have a received tons of tender mercies this week!!! Just to name a couple: My pension made us brownies yesterday, mmmmmmh, this morning we ran out of flour for the pancakes and I put bread crumbs in them and they tasted fine, a less active talks to us like her best friends and gives us cake and hot chocolate, none of our appointments fall saturday, Hermana M writes me today, I find a chocolate covered almond sitting in my bag when I'm super hungry. Okay so Heavenly Father blesses me with tender mercies through food... food is good. hahah but I just feel so blessed that the Lord is aware of the little things in my life. I really feel like he is aware of me personally... I know he is aware of me. I know he is aware of you. He loves you. I KNOW IT!!! This week not much happened... but stay posted. I'm sure there will be more next week!!! haha

 

I love you all so much and I hope you all have a very merry week!

-Hermana Wattles

Sorry I didn't take a picture this week so here is one of my sweet comp and I in plaza de armas

HELLLOOO people that I love oh so much! For one reason or another, I feel especially grateful to write you all this week. This week has been a marvelous one and everyday I am learning more and more from the Lord! Last week was changes (or tansfers as you gringos call it ahah) I got called to train AGAIN!! I feel super blessed for this calling and I know that the Lord will help me through it because it's hard work!! I went to Cusco for a couple days to pick up my new companion, Hermana F.. and bring her back to the wonderful J..!! It was super fun! I also had to say goodbye to Hermana M. She'll be greatly missed, I love her to death!!

 

This week we got to teach lots of less active members and help them understand some of the Gospel principles. It was such a sweet blessing to meet with them because this sunday many of them came! I was so super happy and I feel so blessed to be a missionary.

 

These days it has been raining a lot... everyday it rains and a big ol storm is brewin here in the Peru Cusco Mission but it's all good because today I bought like 20 top ramen instant noodles! (food storage of a missionary) haaa.

 

I think the funniest thing that happened this week was when I was in cusco with my new companion and we were contacting people in the plaza. Some teenager came up to us to try and sell us Machu Picchu tickets so we decided to contact him. In that moment, I was eating some chocolate covered almonds and he looked at me and asked if he could have one, so I gave him one. He looks at us with his chocolate and asks us if we wanted to share the tiny little chocolate as he pointed to his mouth. ahahha clásico.

 

This week has been a really good week but I look forward to some more really rewarding weeks! I love you all so much!!!

 

-Hermana Wattles

Evil Dog

This week was a good one as always, could possibly be the last time that I am with Hermana M, so crazy!! This week we were with Hermana B and we got to go to all our appointments with her. We went to one of our appointments and after, she tried to feed a dog a cookie and he ran at her and took a bite out of her leg. She was a little trooper. We got into the moto and she looks at me and goes, Hermana Wattles, I think that dog bit me. We look at her leg and it is dripping blood. We ended up having to go to the hospital the next day and they stitched her up. The funniest thing is that she looks at us after and says, SO WORTH IT!! WE GOT 4 NEW INVESTIGATORS. hahah she has such a good attitude! I love her so much!

 

We also had some good lessons and taught some good stuff. I am so happy to be here in this mission and I am so thankful for all my blessings.

 

I hope all of you are all well and that you have a great week!!!

Time flies so fast and I can't believe it.

I love you!

-Hermana Wattles

Well, this week was an amazing week. I think I start all of my emails like this, ahhaha. I'm sorry. Everyday is just amazing! We had lots of lessons and met with so many people! Everyone in J.. is just so amazing and when I have a change one day, I will be very sad. 

 

This week, we taught two really amazing lessons in specific that were just so powerful and amazing. The first was with a less active member who is going through a really hard time. Her husband and her are both less actives and don't come to church. She is sort of the support for the family in the midst of hard situations. We have been trying to help her to go to church the whole time Hermana M and I have been together and it just never works out. In the lesson, she told us some of her doubts and we promised her very strongly that if she would pay her tithing and go to church, those doubts would be resolved. In that moment, the spirit was so strong and she accepted.

 

The next lesson was with one of our investigators who is progressing so well and always comes with so many questions and doubts. The second time we taught her, she told us that she already feels like these things are true and that she would like to continue learning more. Our last lesson with her we gave her a baptism date and tried to answer all of the questions that she had. She is so amazing and so sincere. She just comes ready with questions and with the hope that we will have the answers. Her desire is so strong and the will is there. She wants to understand the Gospel all at once and is so ready to obey the commandments and follow a Christ centered life. I love her to death. We brought her to stake conference this sunday and introduced her to some of the members and she already knew so many of them. It was such a blessing to me that she could see the love that the church offers and listen to an apostle of God.

 

I feel so blessed to know the people that I know and have the experiences that I have. I love this Gospel and the people in it. My hope is that the happiness it brings can make it to each and every one of you! I love you all so much!

 

Funny Stuff??

1.Batman: So last night we were walking home at 8:30pm and it was raining so everyone had ponchos and rain coats and we were about to cross the street but there were a bunch of cars. We look up and a motorcycle zooms by with a man driving it. This man was wearing all black, a black poncho that flowed in the wind right behind him and a dark black hat. He looked like batman. You had to be there, latin batman in J.. guys.

2.Tengo Poder "I have power": So we were teaching a less active this week and she is HILARIOUS!!! She always lets us in, gives us chocolate and at the end, drives us home in her car. SHE HAS A CAR. No one has cars here. So we get in her car and tell her that we have another appointment to go to thats super uphill. This hill is so steep that when I walk up it, I slip down. I can't. (one time a car tried to drive up it and half way up the car gives out and slides back down) It's a pretty good hill. So anyways, we get to the bottom of the hill and tell her that she can just drop us off at the bottom because it's impossible. She turns the corner and slams on the gas peddle and says, "TENGO PODER" (I have power) and we start luggin up the hill. I could not stop laughing!!! We made it! Haha, she's pretty cool.

3.Sardines: First off, hate fish. and I ate a can of sardines... I don't think I've ever even opened a can of sardines.

Dont ask me why I did it.

For a picture? I don't know.

Hahaha, well, there's my week. I love you all so much and hope you all have a good week! Happy Halloween!!! Send me pictures! I love you all so much!

WITH LOVEEE

Hermana Emily Wattles 

NORMALLL

Week 0238957029 

 

That's a lie.. I actually don't know how many weeks I've been here, hahah, but this week has been good and every day is a blast here. This week we had a lesson with a woman that lives near our pension and she hasn't been progressing very well so we decided to be very up front with her and have her make a decision as to whether baptism was a goal of hers. She told us that it was, so we invited her to come to church. (Church is a very hard thing for the people here. The biggest work day in J is Sunday and everyone works) We promised her that if she would come, that she would receive more income than she has before. It was super powerful and spiritual. As I made the promise, I really recognized and felt so thankful for the power and authority that we have as missionaries. This calling is so sacred and this is definitely the Lord's work.

 

Also this week, we went to an appointment at 7:30 at night so it was a little late and they never showed up so we started building a rock tower because we couldn't contact people or anything at that time of night. It got pretty tall... Picture attatched. But then a member came as we were building it and he gave us the weirdest look, hahahha, you kind of turn into a kid when you don't have a phone, car, anything and you just have to wait.

 

This week we were walking down the street and a lady popped out and asked us to take a picture with us and her little child.. so there's that picture.

What else?

Had a couple drunks shout at us, shush us in the street, and get down on his knees and take his hat off. Nothin too crazy.

 

Also, I gave a talk in church. That was fun.

The solo thing in sacrament meeting is starting to become a normal thing hahha.

NORMALLL

 

Fun Stuff. Love you all!!!!

Se cuiden siempreeeee

-Hermana Wattles
 

SOLO IN CHURCH

Okay, so this week was CRAZYY! crazy good! Wednessday we had conference with President and it was so fun. He is such an inspired man and the words that he speaks to us, I know they are of God! That conference was also super fun because we went to Puno!!! the best place ever! On saturday, our ward had an activity called "platos tipicos", typical plates, and Hermana M and I were the judges... Oh man, by the end, I felt like an oompa loompa!!! It was great! We tried so many tasty peruvian dishes and most of them had quinua in them so that was a plus!

This week we had the most humbling experience ever.. but really. When we sat down to do weekly planning we started talking about why nothing is going our way and why so many bad things were happening like not having a phone, not having pension, having crazy music blasted every night as we're trying to sleep, baptism dates fall like nothing, and many more things and we came to the realization that this was a huge humbling experience and we hadn't learned yet. We got on our knees and asked forgiveness and tried to correct the things we were doing wrong and complain less. I feel like we have been blessed so much more and the people with whom we are working are receiving those blessing too!

One of those amazing blessings is a young girl that we received as a reference and her lessons couldn't be going more smoothly. She reads, prays, meets with us, and really desires to know and she is getting her answer. She wasn't able to come to church yesterday but I KNOW that this Gospel is changing her life and that she knows that it is true! I love her to death already and I feel so blessed to know her. Often times we find investigators and they want to know more but it just never turns out as easy as you think it will. But I guess nothing in life was meant to be easy. Especially finding truth. Satan really works so hard on us. It's just a testimony to me that the harder he's working on me it must mean that I'm doing something right! I feel so thankful for where I am at and the things that God is allowing me to learn. I feel so overwhelmed that I have such amazing friends and family that think about me, pray about me and write me. I love you all! I pray for you all and I hope that the happiness of the Gospel can enter into your lives and maybe even touch the life of another!

 

Funny Moment:

 

Numero 1- Sang a solo in sacrament... practically. So Hermana M always plays the piano and yesterday, she started playing and NOONE started singing except me! I sang the whole first verse and still no one joined in. I call that a SOLO because everyone could hear me and they still chose not to sing hahahha. I don't sing very well but when in Peru.. who cares.

 

Numero 2- Today we went to Sillustani and we asked this Columbian couple to take a picture of us and after we started talking to them. We started talking and they asked us where we lived and I said " Jxx no ma" and they laughed and told me I had a peruvian accent. It was funny because I had no idea!

Love you all so much!!

-Hermana Wattles

 

Oh What a Beautiful Life

Helllloooo. These pdays come and go like seconds in the real world. Hahah, the real world... this mission is realer than any life I have ever lived. I am so thankful for all of the many blessing that I have and the wonderful opportunity that it is to grow spiritually so much. I really am, and the Gospel has taken such an impact on my life, an impact that can never be taken or destroyed. I have this testimony that is growing every minute that I exercise my faith in the Lord and demonstrate love to the people around me.

 

This week was a marvelous week and I couldn't feel more blessed to be here in J, Peru. My absolute favorite thing that happened this week was actually the saturday of Conference. Last week we actually didn't know that it was conference weekend and so we booked a bunch of citas right on top of conference..... One of them fell right between the two sessions and so we decided to keep it. On conference day, all of the missionaries started talking about where they were going to eat for luch and all of their free time. We started to get worried because we wanted to eat and have free time but we had this appointment of a new investigator and we didn't know what to do. We came to the conclusion that we still needed to go and that it was more important to meet with this girl than go to lunch. So, we ran to the other church building and met up with her. Let me tell you, that was just an amazing lesson. The spirit was so strong and we felt the love of God for her burn in our hearts. We could feel her desire to learn and the curiosity that stood out so much stronger than that of all of our other investigators. It was truly miraculous. At the end of the lesson, we invited her to be baptized. Once she came to the knowledge that these truths and principles were true, she quickly accepted. That was such a blessing to me and I know that the Lord is concecrating our efforts. I love this work and I know that the Lord's hand is in it. I know that sometimes we hit low points in life where we can not really see the benefit of it all but I can testify that all things happen for a reason and nothing passes without God, our Heavenly Father taking note of it. I know he loves us and that in our toughest roughest moments is where we truly learn the absolute most. I am growing. I am learning. The Lord is shaping me through everything I am doing and passing through. I know that the rest of my mission is going to be hard but I've made it half way. Actually the Lord has pushed me this half way and I know he won't give up on me now. I love him. I rejoice that he is my Savior. He is your Savior and loves you. I wish you all an amazing week filled with lots of smile and laughter. Enjoy the life you have. It's short. 

 

I love you with all of my heart.

Funny Story of the week:

First of all when Hermana M first got here, we were sitting in the bus and talking about food. She asked me what's something different here. I told her Chicken foot soup. She looked at me and told me,"you can't eat chicken feet" "yes you can" I
said.... and last week we ate it. :) Good ol chicken foot soup.

cuidense

-Hermana Wattles

conference pics

We don't have a phone this week so ... so many pay phones