Pereceríamos inevitablemente

That's what the Gospel Doctrine teacher said when we walked into the classroom yesterday afternoon. She was talking about the fall of Adam and Eve and the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. But it still stung just a little bit.

There is an inactive member of our ward whose last name is Cienfuegos. That means Hundred Fires.

ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES.

Hey I forgot to tell you! Elder Alarcón, an Area Seventy, is in our ward! His family is adorable. They invited us over for lunch yesterday before our random 2:00 church meetings and his wife made us lots of food. But like the good people they are they didn't just dump it all on a plate in front of us. They let us serve ourselves. THAT is what I call a tender mercy. Less so was the half hour they spent talking about how they met and giving us counsel on marriage. I mean, that was wonderful. They seriously are the sweetest people. 

BUT I AM A MISSIONARY. GIVE ME ANOTHER 10 MONTHS.

please.

So, Peruvians still struggle immensely with my name. This kid named "J" who we're trying to get back to church has called me Hermana Heinzer, Heizwieger, Hazberger, and definitively, Hansel. He is indeed interested in the German culture. He also listens to a lot of Black Sabbath and plays the drums and is extremely tall and talks super fast and snorts when he laughs. He is a joy!

Well, our ward here in Pro is the smallest ward I have ever attended. There were barely 80 people in sacrament meeting yesterday! Whew. But we have some truly good-to-the-core and actively involved leaders who really love their congregation and worry about them a lot. I look forward to strengthening this ward a lot.

I don't have a lot of time but I will tell you the quote of the week. The first counselor in the Bishopric, Hermano Mendoza, is this big black man and SUPER funny. In ward council yesterday we were talking about a less active sister and he stopped everyone talking and said OKAY you all are the bishop. I am Rosa. I am struggling with this and this and this. Tell me what I need to do.

We all sat and looked at him, thinking. 

"Come on! I am ROSA!" He perched ladylike in his chair and pouted his lips. Everyone was silent. After a solid 15 seconds, he stroked the skin of his arm and said, "Well, I'm just a little bit bronzed...

BUT I AM ROSA!"

Ahahaha I love Peruvians. I love Perú! I love my mission and I love the Lord.

Don't forget to pray and don't forget to laugh. 

All my love,

Hermana Hewitt

MEAT CRACKER. (Friends in high places)

HERMANA MOODY IS A SISTER TRAINER! AND ELDER SALAZAR IS ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT!

MAN I AM SO EXCITED!

Oh yeah I got transferred too. :) Hehe. I am now in Los Olivos with Hermana Pinto, from Bolivia! She has 3 months on the mission, like Hermana Jaramillo (who is staying in Trébol with Hermana Olsen, who I think has...10 or 11 months). And she is so great! AH I love her. She is quite shy with other people, but she is such a hoot and a phenomenal teacher. She joins in with me when I make Oscar noises.

Companionship made in Heaven.

Just like all the rest of them.

BUT REALLY.

So now I'm in a zone with two of the six sister trainers in the mission, Hermana Agle from Boston and Hermana López from Guatemala, as well as Hermana Cisneros from Idaho and Hermana Hernández from México. Our zone leaders are Elder Carrillo and Elder Wilson (who was a district leader in Puente Piedra during two of the transfers I was there - he is from Scottsdale, Arizona, and values Givenchy probably more than I do). Our district leader is Elder Gubler, who was in Chancay with Hermana Moody, and he's great. He wrote SWAG in the dust on a forgotten ledge in our house. His companion is Elder Guzman, with the craziest eyebrows I have ever seen. Also in our district is Elder Martinez (teeeeny tiiiiny Latino) training Elder Lewis (suuuuuuuuper tall, suuuuuuper white gringo). They're awesome. And my good pal Elder Larsen came back to earth from two transfers in Huaraz to hang out here with Elder Congora, the son of Elder Reyes (my zone leader when I entered in the mission). There are 16 of us in total, which is tiny compared to the 22 in Puente Piedra and Trébol. But I love it and I am SO EXCITED!

"The Cool Kids"

I just realized I already told you that. Let me tell you it again.

I AM SO EXCITED!

And Hermana Moody was called to be a sister trainer in her very last transfer (totally knew it) with Hermana Aliaga, who has 7 months on the mission! They are both so amazing and we were all in Trébol last transfer. They will do incredible things together. 

And Elder Salazar! The most outstanding Peruvian I know! He was called to be the AP with Elder Rau. Goodness. We all knew that one was coming. But he is going to do such good; even more than he has already done. 

Overall, I would probably just say that I am really excited. And really happy. The Spirit is incredibly strong when Hermana Pinto and I teach together and I am very content to be here. The work continues on! Keep praying for the Perù Lima West Mission! Well...and all those other ones too.

I love you!

Hermana Hewitt

P.S. Meat Cracker. Hermana Pinto tried to cook a refrigerated hamburger patty in the microwave and put it in for too long...she came into our study room with the crispy circle balanced on a fork, fought for a nice good piece, crunched it up in her mouth, swallowed, and said, "Mmmmm...galleta de carne." Translated: Meat cracker.

I also sing a lot here. Don't worry family. I haven't changed too much.

The principle of damnation 3-11-14

Elder Schenk gave us an awesome training in our District Meeting on Thursday. He taught everybody a little English: the differences and similarities between DAM and DAMN. 

Now, I was the only one who giggled. But then I quickly repented and paid attention to the gospel principle being taught.

He explained that to be damned is to be stuck in a spiritual state without progressing, or to be spiritually stagnant. Well, he didn't use that word. But that's what he was saying. ANYWAY. He went on to explain the purpose of a dam, to keep water from moving anywhere. When our spirits are damned, they become stagnant like water that stays forever behind a dam without escape. 

Therefore, it is our job as missionaries to help people progress and not become damned. Can we say R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y?

I liked that lesson.

Also, nobody here understands the concept of a snowboard. That was mildly disappointing.

Also, Saturday was the day of the woman! Happy Woman's Day. ALSO this Saturday is Best Friends Day in Mexico! Hug your best friend at 5:00 PM.

I started to drink milk with chocolate pudding mix and ice this week because I couldn't handle warm water. And we watch the native gringa as cabin fever slowly begins to set in...

We had an awesome stake conference this week. "A" was sustained as an elder in the Church! WOOT WOOT "A"! And President y Hermana Achibald spoke, as well as a seventy whose name I abashedly cannot remember. But he has a way cool accent. He almost never pronounces his "S"s. If that makes any sense. I learned a lot and the Spirit was way strong. Except for when the choir sang some extravagantly dramatic stacatto. In the words of my zone leader Elder Woods,

"Latin Choirs always break my heart. And not in a good way."

Hehehe we giggled like schoolchildren at that.

I love you! Be safe! Make good choices! Say your prayers!

Hermana Hewitt

P.S. Quote of the Week goes to the heartfelt declaration of Hermana Jaramillo in English to a boy she has fallen in love with from the pictures I brought from home:

"You are a person so perfect! And so beautiful! And married me please? I am ex missionary! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

She likes gringos a lot. COUNT YOURSELVES LUCKY.

(Also, check out last week's blog post… I added a picture that Lex sent this week that went along with that post.  :-)

EEEEEEXCELENTE! 3-3-14

GRACIOUS I LOVE MY LIFE!

Man. If you want to be happy, I'm telling ya! Serve a mission and serve it well!

Hermana Jaramillo and I decided to get up offa that thing and work this week. We met or exceeded 4 of the mission's points of excellence! They're the goals for different key indicators, like lessons taught with and without members, references received and contacted, new investigators, etc. that the mission sets nice and high to expand our vision. Our numbers had been pretty melancholy for a little while, so we did some serious reevaluating and changed that business up.

So! We have lots of great new people to teach! 

I'm going to be studying super hard this week so that we don't just teach these people; we change their lives by bringing them to Christ. I want to be like Alma and the sons of Mosiah, working miracles left and right by the power of God! 

Ha. I can't imagine how many people are reading this thinking

weirdooooooo........

We also had a SWEET ward mission night this week. With the eight missionaries in our ward and the San German ward we did a little talent show ish thing. I sang a pleasant little song, Hermana Moody played the piano, Hermana Jaramillo danced to her glorious Mexican music that everybody adores, Elder China and Elder Escalante did the Gangnam Style thing, and the two super tall gringos danced to Cotton-eyed Joe in cowboy hats. And we all made the audience laugh and sang a hymn. In no particular order. After all that nonsense the two wards presented TONS of food from the three parts of Perú: costa, selva, and sierra. And we talked to investigators and members and took pictures and enjoyed until we ran deep into the 21st hour and had to go plan and sleep. 

Sensational.

Oh yeah! And last Monday this lady fried the ends of Hermana J's hair, so on Wednesday she was crying at her desk and chopping it off at the halfway point...therefore, I gave my poor companion a haircut this week. She wanted it straight across, so I did that. In my opinion it's rather fashionable. She likes it. But she also KIND OF JUST A LITTLE BIT looks like Dora the Explorer.

HA also. On Saturday morning I was taking a shower and all that jazz when Hermana Jaramillo screamed bloody murder! I immediately yelled WHAT?! in English and then calmed down and started saying Que, que, que pasó? 

A baby rat had run in the door and hid under the dresser.

Oh gracious.

So, I spent a good half hour trying to coax the poor little thing out of the house with a broom while my companion sat on the top bunk and twiddled her terrified little fingers. It was actually fun. I enjoyed myself. Our neighbor, Hno Romero, ended up coming and catching him for us after the lady who lives downstairs came up and made a bunch of hooplah for an hour.

all ready we'll all float on alright

In a word, this week was as EXCELLENT as my companion's impression of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. 

I really love my life.

Give thanks to your Heavenly Father this week!

Quote of the Week...hmm...well, we probably appreciated most the endless

endless

neverending

jokes about flying rats as a chastisement from God according to our disobedience from Elder Schenk. 

What a gem.

I love you all so much!

Hermana Hewitt