Monday, October 26, 2015

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 

Monday, October 19, 2015

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
 

Monday, October 12, 2015

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



 

Monday, October 5, 2015

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