Week 18

December 14, 2015

and thus ends my second transfer in the field...

I´ll find out tonight if I change companions or areas or whateverI.  I actually have no idea what's going to happen tonight. Everyone is saying Hermana Tituaña is going to leave the area but at the same time, it's possible that we´ll be together another transfer. So I don´t know! I´ll let you guys know next week where I am and who I´m with!

Since this week was the last week of the transfer, we yet again, had another Hermana with us in Secada so she could do paperwork in Iquitos. Hermana Jackson! She´s super awesome, also from the United States, and she also started her mission in Secada. So she knows a lot about this area and the people LOVE her, I felt like I knew who she was before she even came because everyone talks about her! (It was also awesome because I got a lot of her extra clothes ;) ) 

All the missionaries in my ward with our Bishop.  He is leaving to go to Lima and we are super sad.  He's like the best Bishop ever!  From left to right ... Elder Fox, his companion, Elder Huamani, Elder Plaza (who doesn't have a companion this transfer because his companion when home sick ... so he is just with members), the Bishop, Hermana Jackson, Hermana Tituana, and me! 

What else? Presidente and Hermana Gomez came with us to visit a family in our area and it was super nervewracking, but we survived! Haha!  We got to ride in their car (it's my first time in a legit car since the CCM and it was super strange!) and they came with us to teach a family of recent converts in our area. They have three teenage boys who NEVER listen when we go to teach them, but for some reason they were super attentive and it made for SUCH a good lesson. We talked about the spirit of Christmas and then the mom of this family bore her testimony about how much the church has changed and influenced her life and it was such a special sweet moment that I never want to forget. It was also pretty funny because Presidente and Hermana Gomez drove their nice new Honda in these neighborhoods where nobody has anything, and then they just left it parked next to some houses while we went and taught. I was super worried someone was going to steal the car, but I guess Presidente has much more faith that I do, because when we finished the lesson, their car was still there and untouched! It was borderline a miracle.

Hmm... other than that nothing really interesting happened this week besides getting rejected a lot but thats okay, because it really taught me in the importance of choosing to be happy. Everyone always said happiness is a choice but to be honest I never really believed them. How can happiness be a choice when bad things are always happening? Hermana Tituaña taught me that when she first started out her mission, she hated it, but she wanted to be happy. So every time she thought of something sad, or complained, she sang a hymn. She just forced herself not to think about it. So I tried that this week, and even though I had so many reasons to be discouraged, I just sang hymns and smiled. And yeah, even though I was discouraged at times, I forced myself to be happy and I really felt that I could be happy. I could smile, and I could brush off the rejection and it made my week SO MUCH better. 

So I guess that's my advice for anyone struggling to be happy right now, just force yourself not to think of the bad. Sing a happy song, smile, and just pretend to be happy, and before you know it, you really will be happy and you won't know why!

My feet and shoes after one significantly long day of rainstorms

With Hermana Jimenez, my sister training leader, and one of my most favorite people ever!
She finished her mission today!  

Okay I love you all!

Hermana Gurney